Department for Transport

Brittany Ferries and DFDS

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the contracts between his Department and (a) Brittany Ferries and (b) DFDS for additional roll-on roll-off freight capacity will come into force on 29 March 2019.

Chris Grayling: The contracts with Brittany Ferries and DFDS are already in force.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to provide more live information to bus users in rural areas.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department will publish the Government’s response to the Bus Open Data public consultation on 26 March 2019. The consultation sought views on proposals to require bus operators, through regulations, to openly publish data on local bus services across England. To enable a platform for bus data to be published, the Department is currently building a Bus Open Data Digital Service. The digital service will enable bus operators to publish their data, which can subsequently be used by application developers to create journey planning products for bus passengers across England, including in rural areas.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many contracts were awarded by his Department without the formal oversight of its Procurement Assurance Board  in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018 and (d) 2019.

Jesse Norman: The Procurement Assurance Board does not convene only to review award decisions, and it is difficult to be completely accurate as the Board holds reviews at various pre-contract procurement stages. But Tier 1 procurements have gone through the Procurement Assurance Board in recent years as below:2016 = 182017 = 172018 = 202019 = 2 (to note: 2 Procurement Assurance Board meetings have been held so far this year. 4 x Tier 1 projects are scheduled to be presented to the Procurement Assurance Board by 30.04.19)

Road Traffic: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on non-freight traffic in Portsmouth of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the uneven rate of arrival of HGV traffic in Portsmouth on congestion in modelling the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of potential congestion on the M275 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: The Department has assessed the potential impacts of changes in freight traffic and border processes on queues at Portsmouth International Port (PIP) in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This assessment uses hourly freight traffic arrivals data into the port, therefore accounting for peaks and troughs in HGV arrivals over the week. Queuing from the port can currently happen during peak periods of normal operation. However, as a result of potential increased freight arrivals and limited throughput capacity at the freight entry to the port, we project that up to sixty HGVs could be queuing to enter the port at peak times in a worst case scenario. Although this would impact on the M275, we expect these queues to dissipate as arrival rates drop off beyond peak hours.

Eurotunnel

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the financial risks to his Department are if agreed projects carried out under the Eurotunnel obligations under the government settlement agreement overspend their allocated budget.

Chris Grayling: None. The Settlement Agreement is clear that there are no circumstances in which the sums paid to Eurotunnel will exceed £33 million.

Eurotunnel

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions the Government has held with Eurotunnel on the appointment of external auditors, separate to Eurotunnel’s statutory auditors, for reporting purposes as set out in paragraph 50 of the government settlement agreement.

Chris Grayling: The Settlement Agreement was agreed on 28th February 2019 and the first payment under it has not yet been made. As such, Eurotunnel have not started preparing a report on how that money has been committed or spent, the first of which is due on or before 31st March 2020. The Settlement Agreement sets out the steps Eurotunnel are obliged to take in preparing that report – including using their statutory auditors (or auditors to be agreed by the parties). The Government intends to agree the audit arrangements with Eurotunnel well in advance of the production of the first Project Report.

Road Traffic: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the volume of non-commercial traffic entering Portsmouth in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: We have been working closely with the Hampshire LRF to understand traffic flows in Portsmouth, and to assess the potential for traffic disruption at Portsmouth port in the event of a no deal. Whilst our primary focus has been on freight volumes, as this is where we expect the risk of disruption to be greatest, the LRF have shared modelling with us which covers all traffic volumes, and we have been drawing on this when engaging with them on their proposed mitigations for dealing with potential traffic disruption.

Cycling: Greater London and Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to the promotion of cycling in (a) each borough in central London and (b) Portsmouth.

Jesse Norman: The following table shows the amount of funding allocated to the promotion of cycling in Portsmouth. DFT – Sustainable Travel Transitional Year (STTY)DFT - Bikeability[1]DEFRA - Air Quality Grant Scheme[2]2019/200£58,90102018/190£55,52002017/180£52,407£450,0002016/17£455,000£25,34702015/16000 Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London. Cycling in London is the combined responsibility of the Mayor of London and the London Boroughs; the Department for Transport does not directly fund cycling schemes in London.   [1] The DfT is providing technical support to Portsmouth City Council to enable the authority to develop a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) [2] DEFRA awarded Air Quality Grant to Portsmouth City Council, £450,000 for a communications package and cycling infrastructure.

Department for Transport: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.The amount spent on consultants each year since 2016 is:2016-17 - £49.59m2017-18 - £55.22m

Airports: Standards

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of airport capacity outside the South East.

Jesse Norman: The Government established the independent Airports Commission, which assessed the capacity needs of the whole of the UK, before concluding that the country needs one additional runway in the South East by 2030 and noted that there would be a need for other airports to make more intensive use of their existing infrastructure. The Department accepted the findings of the Airports Commission and is supportive of airports across the UK making best use of their existing runway capacity, so long as they address the economic and environmental impacts and proposed mitigations. The Government is currently consulting on its Aviation Strategy green paper, ‘Aviation 2050; The future of UK aviation’.

Birmingham Airport

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of a second runway at Birmingham Airport on regional growth in the West Midlands.

Jesse Norman: No assessment has been made. In setting out what it will deliver over the next fifteen years to 2033, Birmingham Airport’s draft Master Plan makes clear it plans to make best use of its existing runway and does not foresee a need for a second runway for some considerable time to come.

Transport for London: Siemens

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 21 March 2019 to Question 909949, Official Report, what engagement his Department's officials had in the awarding of that contract to Siemens by Transport for London and London Underground.

Andrew Jones: Transport is London is devolved to the Mayor of London and delivered by Transport for London. The awarding of a contract to Siemens to build new trains for the London Underground is solely a matter for the Mayor. My officials have no role in the awarding of the contract.

Air Routes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the number of global routes to smaller airports in Belfast and Cardiff and other essential hubs.

Jesse Norman: The Government is supportive of all airports, including Belfast and Cardiff, in creating new international connections. The Government believes that air passengers are best served by a competitive commercial airline market. It is for airlines to determine which airports they operate, based on their own assessment of costs and passenger demand.

Skipton-Colne Railway Line

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on (a) scoping and (b) commissioning further feasibility work on whether the restoration of the Skipton to Colne link would generate enough freight and passenger traffic to be affordable.

Andrew Jones: Work is currently progressing and we expect to receive the results later this year to inform a decision as to whether the scheme should go to the next stage ‘develop’ of the Government’s Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.We are working closely with Transport for the North to assess the proposed scheme and to ensure that it can be affordable, will attract sufficient traffic, and is part of the right long-term solution for the cross Transpennine rail traffic.This is part of our new approach to rail enhancements to ensure we address the needs of passengers and freight, and that funding commitments appropriately reflect the stage of development of schemes.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Trading Standards

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support Trading Standards.

Kelly Tolhurst: In 2018-2019 the Department is providing over £14 million to National Trading Standards and Trading Standards Scotland to coordinate local authority trading standards services work on fair trading. Following the Modernising Consumer Markets Green Paper in 2018, the Government has been considering options to strengthen consumer protection. These will build on the Office for Product Safety and Standard’s work with trading standards to increase their capacity to prevent and remove unsafe goods in UK markets.

Business: Equality

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department​ is taking to increase diversity on executive boards of UK businesses.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government is committed to working with the business community to create more inclusive and diverse workplaces. The Government commissioned and supports several business-led independent reviews, such as:The Hampton-Alexander Review to increase the representation of women on boards and senior leadership positions in FTSE 350 companies to 33% by 2020; andThe Parker Review to increase the ethnic diversity of FTSE 350 boards by 2024.These reviews form part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy which aims to build an economy that works for all.The representation of women on FTSE 100 boards has increased from 12.5% in 2011 to 30.9% in March 2019 and among executive directors has doubled from 5.5% to 10.2% in in the same period.

Job Creation: West Midlands

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to help businesses to create more highly skilled jobs in (a) Solihull and (b) the West Midlands.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Industrial Strategy is our long-term plan to boost productivity by backing businesses to create high-quality, well paid jobs throughout the United Kingdom, with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure. The Government is supporting businesses in Solihull and the West Midlands through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which brings together world-class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies that will transform existing industries and create entirely new ones. We have to date allocated £298,603,876 of ISCF grant funding to projects in the West Midlands and £14,409 for Solihull. Government has been working alongside the West Midlands Combined Authority, Local Enterprise Partnerships and local businesses to develop the West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy. This sets out an ambitious long term vision for the region to increase its productivity, build on its sectors at the heart of the region like automotive and life sciences, and create new opportunities for people and businesses in emerging sectors and industries. The government have also helped businesses through the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme. Since its launch in 2012, the programme has delivered 58 loans, totalling £489,951 for businesses in Solihull. We have also established a network of Catapult Centres to commercialise new and emerging technologies. In the West Midlands, this includes the High Value Manufacturing Catapult which has two centres in Coventry, and the Energy Systems Catapult in Birmingham. These catapults will help businesses in these areas, and across the UK, to do cutting-edge R&D and train apprentices and doctoral students in high-demand technical skills. Further examples of action across Greater Birmingham and Solihull:The Government is investing £433 million through the local economy through the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Deals to support local economic growth and job creation.Projects that have benefitted from investment thus far include the Changan UK Research and Development Facility, and the Universities@IBC project at Innovation Birmingham, a digital and tech business support and incubation campus, which will create over 700 highly skilled jobs in the LEP area.Government is working with West Midlands partners to maximise the economic opportunity around the HS2 Interchange Station. The UKC Hub proposals are expected to deliver 35,000 to 77,000 new jobs in highly skilled sectors which will complement the existing economic assets in the area.The number of people in private sector employment has increased by 115,000 in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP area since 2010. Further examples of action across the West Midlands:The Faraday Battery Challenge has invested £80 million in a new state-of-the-art automotive battery development facility in the West Midlands. A key part of the Automotive Sector Deal, the centre will host cutting-edge production and assembly processes and support the future scale-up of battery technologies.In July 2018, the government agreed a skills deal with the West Midlands Combined Authority which will boost digital and technical skills, job opportunities, and productivity across the region. This is co-funded by government alongside employer funding and is designed to support more young people and adults into work as well as upskilling and retraining local people of all ages.The Midlands Engine Investment Fund provides over £250 million to support small businesses in the Midlands to start and grow. It has now invested £25 million into over 100 SMEs.

New Businesses: Young People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to promote youth entrepreneurship; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: As part of our Industrial Strategy, we have taken steps to encourage young people to start a business and turn their ambitions into a reality. On 6 March, BEIS launched an independent review into Young Entrepreneurship to be led by the Prince’s Trust, that seeks to better understand young entrepreneurs, the specific barriers and opportunities they face, and what more can be done by the private, public and third sector to support them to start and grow a business. The Review will focus on people aged 18-30 in England, who have the potential to start a business, are in the process of starting a business, or are already running their own business. Since 2012, the British Business Bank has also provided over £59 million in Start Up Loans to 18-24-year olds. Additionally, the Young Innovators Programme, supported by Innovate UK and the Prince’s Trust, enables young entrepreneurs to access coaching, mentoring and £5,000 funding.

Employment Agencies: Fees and Charges

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of re-classifying modelling platforms as employment agencies to ensure that they cannot charge clients upfront fees; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Through the Good Work Plan, published in December 2018, the Government has committed to upgrading workers’ rights and protecting the most vulnerable workers. This represents the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in over 20 years. Modelling platforms can already meet the definition of an employment agency as set out in the Employment Agencies Act 1973. If they meet the definition, they would already need to comply with the current legislation, which has specific regulations that cover modelling and entertainment agencies. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate looks at all complaints on a case by case basis, and works with other partner organisations, such as Trading Standards, to ensure organisations comply with the relevant legislation.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure the continuity of funding for research projects with EU funding in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. If ratified, the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement will ensure continued UK participation in EU programmes under the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including Horizon 2020. As a responsible government, we are planning for every eventuality to ensure cross-border collaboration in research and innovation can continue after EU exit in all scenarios. In August 2016, the government committed to underwrite all successful competitive UK bids to Horizon 2020 submitted before EU exit, even if they are notified of their success after exit. In July 2018, the government extended the guarantee to cover successful UK participants’ funding in all Horizon 2020 calls open to third country participants from the date of exit. The guarantee and extension would cover the lifetime of their projects, even if they last beyond 2020.

Energy: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the timing of Ofgem's Targeted Charging Review on (a) the deployment of distributed generation technologies, (b) businesses with onsite generation and renewables and (b) the transition to a low carbon, flexible energy system.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives from Ofgem on the effect of the timing of the current Targeted Charging Review on investment in (a) renewables, (b) energy efficiency, (c) innovation and (d) on site generation for businesses.

Claire Perry: Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. As was outlined in the ‘After the Trilemma’ speech of 15 November 2018, it is important that we develop an energy system that discourages free riding and ensures a fair distribution of such costs.Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review are for it to make. However, Government is working to understand the wider policy implications of their proposals across a range of priorities, and expects Ofgem to take decisions in line with their primary duty to protect current and future consumers. The regular discussions which Ministers and officials have with Ofgem and other stakeholders are supporting our consideration. The analysis which Ofgem published as part of its recently closed consultation shows that the proposals could affect investment decisions across a number of technologies, but no final decisions have been taken on timing or other aspects.

Agency Workers: Equal Pay

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 March 2019, Official Report, column 994, on the Swedish derogation, whether he has finished reflecting upon the representations he has received from the trade unions on the timing of the abolition of the Swedish derogation; and what the outcome has been of his reflections.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 22 March 2019



Through the Good Work Plan, published in December 2018, the Government has committed to upgrading workers’ rights and protecting the most vulnerable workers. This represents the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in over 20 years. The Government has considered all representations made to it about the Swedish derogation and is committed to its repeal. Secondary legislation repealing the Swedish Derogation has already been approved by the House of Commons’ Seventh Delegated Legislation Committee on 6 March 2019. Subject to approval from the House of Lords, from April 2020 all agency workers will be entitled to the same pay as permanent staff after 12 weeks in an assignment. This timeframe allows businesses to realign their contractual arrangements, both with their workers and the end hirers.

Biofuels and Wind Power: Finance

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy why Contracts for Difference (CfD), for what reasons strike prices have been higher for dedicated biomass technologies than for offshore wind during CfD allocation rounds two and three.

Claire Perry: In CfD Allocation Round 2 dedicated biomass and offshore wind cleared at the same strike price of £74.75MWh for delivery year 2021/22. The Administrative Strike Prices (ASPs) set out the maximum support that the Government is willing to offer developers for each technology in a given delivery year. In setting the ASPs, the government has drawn upon the latest generation cost data, while also considering market conditions, policy considerations and other technology specific factors in order to encourage new investment whilst ensuring value for money for consumers. The methodology used to determine the draft ASPs for the third allocation round is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contract-for-difference-cfd-third-allocation-round-methodology-used-to-set-administrative-strike-prices CfDs are awarded in a series of competitive auctions, with the lowest price bids being successful as a means of driving cost reduction and project efficiencies.

Biofuels and Wind Power: Finance

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy if he will make it his policy to create parity under Contract for Difference allocation rounds two and three between dedicated biomass with CHP and offshore wind; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: A draft budget notice was published in November 2018, which outlined the proposed Administrative Strike Prices (ASPs) for all technologies eligible to compete in the next allocation round, this notice can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contracts-for-difference-cfd-draft-budget-notice-for-the-third-allocation-round In setting the ASPs, the government has drawn upon the latest generation cost data, while also considering market conditions, policy considerations and other technology specific factors in order to encourage new investment whilst ensuring value for money for consumers. The methodology used to determine the draft ASPs for the third allocation round is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contract-for-difference-cfd-third-allocation-round-methodology-used-to-set-administrative-strike-prices

Biofuels: Grangemouth

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial, if he will provide an update on the delivery of the Grangemouth Renewable Energy Plant which was awarded a Contract for Difference in 2017 as part of CfD allocation round two.

Claire Perry: The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) announced on 19 October 2018 its decision to terminate the contract for difference (CfD) awarded to Grangemouth Renewable Energy Plant for failing to make sufficient progress by the Milestone Delivery Date. The press release is available on the LCCC’s web site - https://www.lowcarboncontracts.uk/ CfDs are private law contracts between a generator and the LCCC, and decisions relating to whether a generator has met its milestone requirement are for the LCCC.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Cost Effectiveness

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the value for money of the renewable heat incentive subsidy mechanism; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) compares favourably to other ways of saving carbon or generating renewable energy across the economy, contributes to our renewable targets, and plays a significant role in supporting supply chains in the renewable heating industry. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and prior to BEIS, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has made regular assessments of value for money in the RHI subsidy mechanism. The latest scheme Impact Assessment was made in February 2018 and is available on GOV.UK. The RHI was reformed in 2017 and 2018 to focus on long-term decarbonisation, improve consumer protection, support supply chain growth and improve value for money for the taxpayer. These reforms included setting maximum heat demand limits for biomass, air source and ground source heat pumps in the Domestic RHI, removing wood drying as an eligible heat use for the Non-domestic scheme and giving Ofgem greater enforcement powers.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Committee on Climate Change’s Biomass in a Low Carbon Economy Report published in November 2018 and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Clean Air Strategy published in January 2019, what plans he has for the future of the renewable heat incentive.

Claire Perry: In the Clean Air Strategy, the Government committed to consult on removing Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme support for new biomass installations in urban areas which are on the gas grid. The Government published the consultation Renewable Heat Incentive: Biomass Combustion in Urban Areas, seeking views on a number of proposals including the removal of RHI support for some or all or some new biomass boilers in urban areas, imposing geographical restrictions on biogas combustion and introducing regular maintenance checks on existing biomass boilers under the RHI. We will be publishing a government response to this consultation shortly.

Biofuels: Timber

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential carbon and economic value generated by restricting the amount and type of wood that biomass plants in receipt of subsidies can use as fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Biomass plants in receipt of subsidies must comply with the UK’s sustainability criteria. Plants with a capacity of 1 megawatt and above must also prepare an annual sustainability report, compiled by a third-party auditor, which will provide assurance that the biomass is from sustainable sources. Wood is a globally trade commodity. Prices are influenced by global demand, currency exchange rates and weather conditions. Our Wood Fuel Disclosure Survey concluded that most of the wood fuel used for electricity generation in the UK is imported and that the volumes of UK wood used are expected to remain constant. Energy markets have grown in recent years and this has benefited woodland owners and contractors who have increased harvesting rates. Availability forecasts suggest there is potential to increase production further if businesses are willing to invest in the supply chain and encourage more woodland owners to enter the market.

District Heating: Fuels

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, information his Department holds on the fuel sources for district heating systems delivered under the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Programme from April 2019, and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: In December 2018 we published in ‘Heat networks: Developing a market framework’ our estimate of the fuel sources that will be used in projects that will come forward under the Heat Network Investment Project. The assumed technology mix is displayed in the figure below. The estimate is based on analysis of HNIP pilot data and surveys of the project pipeline. The estimate is dynamic as it is assumed original CHP plants are replaced with lower-carbon systems at the end of their operational life. The estimated technology mix is 22% gas back-up boiler, 33% gas CHP, 20% EfW incinerator, 5% biomass, 10% heat pump and 10% waste heat recovery.

Lord Deben

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Governance Code for Public Appointments, whether he has had any discussions with Cabinet colleagues and officials on Lord Deben's suitability as Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change.

Claire Perry: Lord Deben’s appointment as Chair of the Committee on Climate Change was made in line with Cabinet Office propriety and ethics standards.

Lord Deben

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish all correspondence between Lord Deben and his Department on the use of renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Claire Perry: It is normal practice that the Committee on Climate Change publish their advice to Government, including on the use of renewable energy and electric vehicles, on their website.

City Deals: Economic Growth

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure clean growth from City Deals.

Claire Perry: City and growth deals are a great means by which we as UK Government can work alongside the devolved administration governments and local councils to drive local growth. These deals are locally led, with local leaders starting off by identifying their priorities for delivering growth and productivity across the region. Such priorities may include matters relating to digital infrastructure, health innovation, local energy proposals and many more. Once priorities have been identified, Government works with the local areas to ensure emerging proposals on reserved matters are aligned with UK Government policy and demonstrate value for money, before funding is released.

WH Smith: Post Offices

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what equality impact assessment has been undertaken on the franchising of 74 crown post offices to WHSmith announced in October 2018.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 25 March 2019



The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Impact assessments in respect of the franchising of Crown Post Offices to WHSmith are an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon. Member on this matter. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Parental Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to implement shared parental pay and paternity pay as a right for all employees from their first day of employment.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 25 March 2019



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is currently evaluating the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme and, subject to the data collection process, we expect to report on this later this year. The evaluation will look at the take up of Shared Parental Leave and Pay by fathers and partners, barriers to take-up, and how the scheme is being used in practice. As a part of the data collection process, we will, amongst other things, gather information on the take up of Paternity Leave and Pay by fathers and partners. The evaluation will improve the evidence base and inform future policy development in these areas.

International Financial Reporting Standards Endorsement Board

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral contribution of 20 March 2019 of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kelly Tolhurst to the Eighth Delegated Legislation Committee on the Draft International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, Official Report, column 8, who will carry out the work that the endorsement board will be responsible for until that body is constituted.

Kelly Tolhurst: The International Accounting Standards and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 transfer the European Commission’s powers to endorse and adopt International Accounting Standards (IAS) to the Secretary of State. It also provides for these powers to be sub-delegated to a UK body. The policy intention is that the sub-delegation to a UK Endorsement Board will be performed by an affirmative SI later this year. Until then, the responsibility to endorse and adopt IAS for use in the UK will lie with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. He will be supported in this role by the FRC and, once appointed, the Endorsement Board secretariat staff. Recruitment is currently underway.

Life Sciences: Economic Growth

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the role of biomanufacturing in supporting the Government's Clean Growth Strategy.

Chris Skidmore: The Government published the UK’s first ever Bioeconomy Strategy in December 2018. Developed with industry, and trailed in the Clean Growth Strategy, it identifies biomanufacturing and biorefineries as a key route to developing less carbon intensive products for the UK, from energy and fuels to bio-based chemicals, plastics and other materials. Building on the UK’s world class expertise in bioscience and biotechnology, these technologies can be applied across multiple sectors to generate transformational change in productivity and clean growth.

Living Wage: Scotland

John Lamont: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many workers will receive an increase in wages as a result of the rise in the national living wage on 1 April 2019 in each Scottish parliamentary constituency.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 26 March 2019



On 1 April 2019, the Government is increasing the National Living Wage (NLW) to £8.21, keeping us on track to meet our target of the NLW reaching 60 percent of median earnings by 2020, subject to economic growth. This means that a full-time worker on the rate will be over £2750 better off over the year compared to the year the NLW was introduced. In April 2018, we estimated that 3,100 workers in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk would benefit from the 2018 increases in the NLW and NMW, which accounted for 7 per cent of the workforce. The Government has not published data on projected coverage of the NLW by constituency from 1 April 2019. However, we estimate that 159,000 workers in Scotland stand to benefit from increases in the NLW or National Minimum Wage (NMW). We also expect workers earning above the NLW and NMW to benefit from indirect pay increases. Across the UK, we estimate that at least 20% of workers, which is over 5 million people, will directly or indirectly benefit from April’s uprating. This estimate was made from data published in the Government’s Impact Assessment for the 2019 uprating of the NMW and NLW, and the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey statistics.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Human Rights

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government made at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council on the crisis in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon, which continue to suffer from high levels of violence. We condemn all human rights violations and abuses and continue to press the Government of Cameroon to ensure that those responsible face justice. In his address to UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 25 February, the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN stressed that the cycle of violence in the Anglophone regions in Cameroon must end and urged all sides to come together to initiate a credible, inclusive dialogue to address the root causes of the crisis. The UK and Austria made a joint statement on the human rights situation in Cameroon at the UN Human Rights Council on 21 March, supported by 39 countries, raising concern about the deteriorating human rights situation and calling on Government of Cameroon to establish a credible dialogue.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

Sir Alan Duncan: Details of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) spend on Consultancy for each financial year is published in the FCO Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications.As Consultancy is procured as an output-based service, and not in terms of individual consultants, we do not centrally hold the number of consultants hired.Where the FCO has a business need for Consultancy, which cannot be met with in-house resources, these services are procured in line with FCO procurement practices, and Cabinet Office guidance.

Libya: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the current political and security situation in Libya, and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​The UK remains concerned by the security situation in Libya and welcomes recent efforts by UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé to de-escalate tensions in the South. All sides must show restraint in order to avoid mis-calculations that could lead to further conflict. We are clear that the only way of achieving stability in Libya is through an inclusive political settlement. The UK strongly supports the efforts of UN Special Representative Ghassan Salamé and welcomes his recent announcement that a National Conference will take place in Ghadames in April. This is an opportunity to bring together a wide range of Libyan stakeholders to reach a consensus on key questions relating to Libya's political transition, including the best route towards elections.

Gaza: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Palestinian Authority on human rights in Gaza, and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​We regularly raise our concerns about the situation in Gaza with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority, pressing them on the need for a long-term strategy to improve humanitarian and economic conditions. We remain deeply concerned about the human rights situation in Gaza and support the Palestinian Authority returning to administer Gaza. The UK maintains a no contact policy with Hamas in its entirety. The Foreign Secretary discussed Gaza with new Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh on 20 March. The former Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised Gaza with the Palestinian Foreign Minister on 4 February.

Ilois: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2019 to Question 233007 on Ilois: Finance, on what dates were the visits organised by the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration between 2000 and 2016 to allow Chagossians access to their homeland; and how many Chagossians participated in each of those visits.

Sir Alan Duncan: Between 2000 and 2015, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded a total of 10 visits, involving 164 Chagossian participants, to the British Indian Overseas Territories. A breakdown is included below:YearMonthNumber of Chagossians2006September562008February – March82008November62009October - November182010(dates not available)72011March122011June42011November152013October – November202015April – May182016(no visits)0On 16 November 2016, I announced the UK's decision to fund a package to improve support for Chagossians. This included an expanded programme of visits to the British Indian Oceans Territories.

Gaza: Death

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in ensuring Israel's investigations into deaths at the Gaza border in 2018 are (a) independent, (b) transparent, (c) balanced, (d) inclusive of international members and (e) published in a timely manner.

Mark Field: ​The UK fully supports the need for an independent and transparent investigation which establishes the facts about the violence last year in Gaza. We have repeatedly called for such an investigation at the highest levels, as well as in multiple forums including in Parliament in an urgent question on 22 March, and at the UN Security Council. The Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary raised the issue directly with Prime Minister Netanyahu, stressing the need for an independent investigation, and encouraging urgent action to improve the situation in Gaza. Earlier this week British Embassy officials raised Gaza with the Israeli authorities, highlighting the importance of proportionality, and raising concerns about the volume of live fire against unarmed women, children and medics. We welcome that the Israeli Military Advocate General has recently ordered five criminal investigations which relate to 11 separate instances of Palestinian fatalities during the Gaza border protests. These investigations are ongoing. We will continue to make clear to the Israeli authorities that it is vital their investigations are independent and transparent and that their findings are made public, and importantly, if wrongdoing is found, those that are responsible are held to account.

Guatemala: Human Rights

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the proposed reforms of the (a) National Reconciliation Law and (b) NGO Law in Guatemala; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: We welcome the fact that the proposed amendments to the National Reconciliation Law (NRL), seeking to grant amnesty for serious crimes against humanity, lacked sufficient backing in the Guatemalan Congress on 13 March. Two further bills that would allow pre-trial and convicted detainees to be at liberty also did not gain sufficient backing. We remain concerned that proposals of this nature signify a worrying trend towards seeking impunity from serious crimes as well as corruption. Through a local statement issued on 13 March by the G13 group of international donors to Guatemala, the UK joined others in condemning the proposed amendments. The statement highlighted that the amendments to the NRL would violate Guatemala’s international obligations, damage reconciliation efforts and erode faith in the rule of law, and also expressed concern over proposed amendments to the NGO law.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Ukraine

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Guardian's decision to use Kyiv rather than Kiev, whether his Department has plans to make the same change.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office refers to the capital of Ukraine as Kyiv, using spelling based on the official language of Ukraine. It has done so since 2009.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Gibraltar: Employment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what arrangements are in place for Spanish citizens working in Gibraltar after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of citizens working and living in the UK and EU, including specific provisions on frontier workers. The territorial scope of this explicitly covers Gibraltar. The UK, Gibraltar and Spain also agreed provisions in the Gibraltar Protocol, and accompanying Memorandum of Understanding on Citizens’ Rights, to confirm protection for the rights of EU citizens working in Gibraltar.

EU Nationals: Conditions of Employment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what protections are being offered to EU frontier workers in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Withdrawal Agreement protects the rights of those who are frontier workers at the end of the transition period, for as long as they continue to be frontier workers in the host state. The Agreement will ensure that these frontier workers are able to enter and leave the UK for work, enjoying broadly the same rights as they do now, after the end of the implementation period.We will also protect the rights of frontier workers in the event of a no deal. Many of this cohort will spend enough time in the UK to qualify for status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Otherwise, they will be able to obtain a separate UK immigration status which will allow them to continue frontier working into the UK after exit.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

Chris Heaton-Harris: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 March 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The Department uses consultancy services to source flexible labour to support short term projects that demand specialist knowledge and skills. From the Department’s formation on 14th July 2016 to date, it has incurred direct costs of £7.9m on consultancy services. Consultancy costs for the current financial year (2018-19) will be disclosed in full in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired. in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department uses consultancy services to source flexible labour to support short term projects that demand specialist knowledge and skills. From the Department’s formation on 14th July 2016 to date, it has incurred direct costs of £7.9m on consultancy services. Consultancy costs for the current financial year (2018-19) will be disclosed in full in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired. in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.

Department of Health and Social Care

HIV Infection

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the effect on patients of differences in the way that demographic groups receive care for HIV.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England routinely collects data on people accessing HIV care in the United Kingdom. The clinical outcomes of people in HIV care, including anti-retroviral treatment uptake and viral suppression are summarised in the annual HIV surveillance data tables, available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables Data are presented by key variables including gender, age, ethnicity, country of birth, region of residence and route of probable HIV exposure, to explore outcomes across different population groups. An assessment of the data is available in the annual national HIV surveillance report, at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-in-the-united-kingdom

Defibrillators: Public Buildings

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the introduction of defibrillators into public buildings.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government encourages organisations, including schools, to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment, particularly for places where there are high concentrations of people. Automated external defibrillators are currently available for schools and other education providers in the United Kingdom to purchase through NHS Supply Chain at a reduced cost. These arrangements are available to all UK schools, including academies and independent schools, sixth-form colleges, further education institutions and early years settings (including holiday and out-of-school providers). These arrangements have been in place since November 2014. The NHS Long Term Plan states fast and effective action will help save the lives of people suffering a cardiac arrest, and key measures include:- a national network of community first responders and defibrillators will help save up to 4,000 lives each year by 2028, which will be supported by educating the general public, including young people of school age, about how to recognise and respond to out of hospital cardiac arrest;- NHS England will also work with partners such as the British Heart Foundation to harness new technology and ensure that the public and emergency services are able to rapidly locate defibrillators in an emergency; and- more effective mapping of data on incidence will help direct community initiatives to areas where they are most needed, and the British Heart Foundation-funded national Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Registry, based in Warwick, will allow NHS England to track survival rates and target unwarranted variation. NHS England will continue to work closely with key partners and stakeholders, including the British Heart Foundation, as it supports the National Health Service to deliver the commitments set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

Obesity: Surgery

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the poor uptake of bariatric surgeries in the UK compared with other developed countries.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support an increase in the use of metabolic surgery for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There has been no central assessment of the uptake of bariatric surgeries in the United Kingdom compared to other developed countries. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning diabetes services for their local population, including for those patients who require metabolic or bariatric surgery. It is for clinicians to decide when surgery is appropriate based on the need of the patient and in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has any plans to review the RCGP Advanced Knowledge Test in relation to ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to ensure it (a) remains up-to-date and (b) demonstrates best practice for treatment of those conditions.

Caroline Dinenage: The responsibility for reviewing and updating the Advanced Knowledge Test (AKT) lies with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). General practice is where most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the RCGP AKT content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of general practitioners’ qualifying exams.

Nurses: Vacancies

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many unfilled nursing posts (a) there are in the NHS and (b) there were in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Approximately 80% of vacancies are filled by a combination of bank and agency staff. Bank and agency staff are also used to fill non-vacancy gaps such as sickness and maternity, therefore NHS Improvement is unable to provide a specific proportion of vacancies which are currently unfilled by temporary staff. Many of the positions considered to be ‘vacant’ are in fact filled by highly trained staff who either choose to work additional shifts alongside their substantive posts, or who have chosen to work flexibly full time. The Department is committed to developing staff banks in a way that reflects the contribution of this vital part of the workforce. While there are vacancies in the National Health Service, a lot of work is underway to improve recruitment and retention. Trusts make decisions based on local needs about how they fill vacant posts, including looking at short-term options for cover such as bank and agency staff.

Nurses: Vacancies

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on trends in the level of nursing vacancies in each year until 2021.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is working closely with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Education England, NHS England and others in the health and care system to understand the impact of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on nursing in the UK. While we do not expect our exit from the European Union to lead to a significant number of health staff leaving on or around exit day, we are not complacent and are continually monitoring staffing levels and working with other Government departments and local areas to put in place mechanisms to respond to any shortages.

Health Professions: Agency Workers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed using bank and locum staff in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Since April 2017 NHS Improvement collects data on the number of bank and agency staff employed by individual National Health Service providers. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent doctors and nursing and midwifery bank and agency staff employed by NHS providers for every quarter since June 2017 to latest data. 2017/18 Q12017/18 Q22017/18 Q32017/18 Q42018/19 Q12018/19 Q22018/19 Q3Total bank and agency- nursing and midwifery workforce30,61933,11031,41537,68933,13733,22132,008Total bank and agency - doctors’ workforce8,4418,8878,8209,6409,2979,0939,294

NHS Low Income Scheme

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications were (a) made and (b) successful to the NHS Low Income Scheme in (i) NHS North Lincolnshire CCG and (ii) England in the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Business Services Authority, which administer the NHS Low Income Scheme, do not hold information broken down into clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas. The following table shows the number of applications received from English addresses in the last four years for the NHS Low Income Scheme and the outcomes. The NHS Business Services Authority does not hold information before this date.  2015/20162016/20172017/20182018/2019HC1 Claims Received345,845344,329330,007286,151HC2 Decisions – assessment outcome is for full help with health costs.203,042196,418191,181157,670HC3 Decisions – assessment outcome is for partial help with health costs.99,98490,48783,63566,930No Help Decisions – assessment outcome is for no help with health costs due to being over capital limit.1,4721,3181,2561,023Passport Benefit Decisions – applicant already has full entitlement to help with health cost via a qualifying benefit.10,79511,28111,56813,222Tax Credit Decisions – applicant already has full entitlement to help with health cost via qualifying tax credits.1,9872,0922,1261,405 Notes: The figures for 2018/2019 do not include figures for March 2019.

NHS Low Income Scheme

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the most common reason is for an NHS Low Income Scheme application being unsuccessful.

Caroline Dinenage: The most common reason for an unsuccessful NHS Low Income Scheme application is where the applicant is already in receipt of a qualifying benefit – 46,866 out of 59,545 of English claims over the last four years.

NHS Low Income Scheme

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the qualifying means test is for the NHS Low Income Scheme; and how that test is adjusted for inflation.

Caroline Dinenage: The assessment for the NHS Low Income Scheme is based on weekly needs. This is split into two parts; the first is ‘Requirements’ which consists of a personal allowance, any premiums, housing costs and council tax. The second is ‘Resources’ which is mainly the claimant’s actual income, but can also include certain assumed income (e.g. student loans). The outcome of the assessment is then based on a comparison of the Requirements (outgoings) with the Resources (income). If the Resources are equal to or less than the Requirements, or if they are no more than half the amount of the current English National Health Service prescription charge greater than the Requirements, then the outcome will result in a certificate for full help with health costs (an HC2 certificate). If the Resources are greater than the Requirements by more than half of the English NHS prescription charge the outcome will result in a certificate for partial help with health costs (an HC3 certificate), where the patient contribution is based on a sliding scale based upon how much greater their Resources are than their Requirements. Rates for personal allowances and premiums are stipulated in the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (as amended) and are subject to periodic changes, mainly in April each year when they are uprated via the Social Security Benefits Uprating Order.

NHS Low Income Scheme: Students

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many students applied to the NHS Low Income Scheme; and how many were successful in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The total number of students that applied to the NHS Low Income Scheme from April 2015 to February 2019 was 275,628, with 271,906 resulting in a successful application. The following table shows the split between successful applications leading to full help with health costs and those leading to partial help with health costs. The NHS Business Services Authority does not hold information before this date.  2015/20162016/20172017/20182018/2019HC1 Claims Received from students80,45371,24568,84355,087HC2 Decisions – assessment outcome is for full help with health costs.43,21738,90536,29028,473HC3 Decisions – assessment outcome is for partial help with health costs.36,27531,38231,61725,747Note: The figures for 2018/19 do not include figures for March 2019.

Midwives

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of reducing the ratio of registered midwives to maternity support workers in midwifery services on (a) workforce skill levels, (b) quality of care, (c) patient safety, (d) staff morale and (e) staff retention.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There is no mandated ratio of registered midwives to maternity support workers in midwifery services. Maternity services should develop, update and administer workforce plans, using agreed midwifery specific workforce planning tools. These plans should include the skill mix of midwives and support staff required to provide the quality of care that meets best practice standards. National Health Service provider boards are responsible for making judgements about staffing and the delivery of safe, effective, compassionate and responsive care within available resources. NHS providers for maternity services are supported by guidelines and improvement resources, including the National Quality Board’s ‘Safe, sustainable and productive staffing - An improvement resource for maternity services’ (January 2018), which can be accessed at the following link: https://improvement.nhs.uk/documents/1353/Safe_Staffing_Maternity_final_2.pdf Maternity support workers (MSWs) are an integral part of the maternity workforce and play an important role in supporting midwives and the wider maternity teams, mothers and their babies through pregnancy, labour and during the postnatal period. On 14 February 2019, Health Education England published a new Maternity Support Worker Competency, Education and Career Development Framework, which can be found at the following link: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/document/MSW_Framework_Final.pdf The framework gives clarity to the role and sets out the career and skills opportunities available to existing MSWs and those new to the role. The role of MSWs is to undertake, under the direction and supervision of a registered midwife, tasks and duties for which midwifery training and registration are not required (either by statute or professional guidance). Morale was included in the NHS Staff Survey for the first time in 2018. The overall score for midwives was 5.8 (scores range from 0 which is the worst possible to 10 – the best) which was close to that of staff overall at 6.1. We are working with our arm’s length bodies to improve staff morale to ensure the NHS is the best place to work, proposals for which should be included in the interim People Plan to be published in April 2019. As at December 2018, there are over 2,200 more Hospital and Community Health Service midwives than there were since the start of this Government.

Maternity Services: Proof of Identity

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the consequences of not conducting equality impact assessments in relation to ID checking within maternity units by (a) Barts Health NHS Trust and (b) other Health bodies.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of ID checking within maternity units by (a) Barts Health NHS Trust and (b) other Health bodies on (i) public health including infectious disease control and (ii) individual health outcomes.

Stephen Hammond: The Department conducted a pilot between May and October 2017 during which 19 National Health Service hospital trusts, including Barts Health NHS Trust, participated in pilots to trial the effectiveness of requesting two forms of identification from patients in improving the identification of those not entitled to NHS funded treatment. The evaluation assessed whether requesting two forms of identity delayed, deterred or prevented patients who did not have proof of identity documents but were entitled to NHS services free of charge from accessing healthcare. Nobody was denied or prevented from accessing healthcare as a result of the identification checks, even where a patient did not have identification. Following the conclusion of this pilot, there has been no further work on identification pilots undertaken by the Department. However, some trusts may continue with local schemes. There is no requirement on NHS staff to check a patient’s identification and asking for, or providing, identification is not a requirement of the Charging Regulations 2015 (as amended). It is up to providers of NHS care to assure themselves that they do everything reasonable to determine a patient’s eligibility for NHS-funded healthcare.

Health Services: Undocumented Migrants

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the March 2019 editorial in Archives of Disease in Childhood entitled Charging undocumented migrant children for NHS healthcare: implications for child health.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no plans to make an assessment of the policy implications of the March 2019 editorial in Archives of Disease in Childhood entitled ‘Charging undocumented migrant children for NHS healthcare: implications for child health’. The National Health Service is a residency-based healthcare system, with a requirement to be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom in order to access NHS-funded healthcare. Providers of relevant NHS services are required to make and recover charges from overseas visitors where relevant services have been provided to them and no exemption applies. Asylum seekers, refugees and children looked after by a local authority are all exempt from charging, as are victims, and suspected victims, of modern slavery and their children. Children will never themselves be expected to demonstrate their eligibility to free NHS healthcare. The parent or guardian of the child should expect to provide evidence that they and the child are ordinarily resident in the UK, or otherwise that an exemption category applies to the child, which usually stems from an exemption that the parent has. Where a non-resident child is being treated their parent or guardian will be liable to pay for their NHS care where no exemption applies.

Vaccination: Disinformation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle anti-vaccine misinformation.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are aware there is a persistent minority who seek to spread misinformation about vaccinations. The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to explore actions to address this and a range of other online harms, including working with platforms. Collaboration with the Department for Education is underway to ensure pupils understand that vaccines protect against diseases which can cause serious long-term ill-health, including mental and/or physical disability, and death. Public Health England annual surveys show parents have high levels of confidence in the national childhood immunisation programme and trust the advice about vaccination that comes from the National Health Service and health care workers. In contrast, trust in social media is much lower. However, we are not complacent and continue to look for ways to improve vaccine coverage and promote the facts relating to the value of immunisation and vaccination.

Poultry: Contamination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of contaminated chicken being sold at supermarkets.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are comprehensive controls in place throughout the food chain to reduce the levels of contamination in chicken being sold in supermarkets and other locations. These controls include, for example, the national salmonella control programme for broiler chickens at all stages of production, which defines a range of measures to reduce the risk of Salmonella. The Food Standards Agency has also worked closely with industry on reducing Campylobacter contamination over a number of years. This has seen the highest contamination levels of Campylobacter fall from an average of 19% in 2014/15 to 5% in 2016/17 in surveys undertaken at retail level. Latest levels according to major retailers’ data show an average of 3.1% for October-December 2018.

Pathology

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the level of misdiagnosis by NHS employees and locums in hospital pathology departments.

Caroline Dinenage: We do not routinely collect this information and we have not made an estimate.Whilst the vast majority of patients receive safe and effective care, any incident of misdiagnosis can have a significant impact on patients and their families, which is why have we are committed to a systematic approach of understanding and learning from avoidable causes of patient harm. Since 2016, the National Health Service has been creating 29 national pathology networks that bring together clinical expertise in regional hubs. This will deliver the highest-quality service for patients and allow the use of cutting-edge technology to increase the speed and accuracy of diagnostics.

Nurses: Training

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of trainee nurses in England.

Stephen Hammond: Our priority is getting more nurses on our wards, which is why from September 2018 we increased the funding for the number of nurse training places available by 25%, allowing more people to study nursing than ever before. The latest data from the University and College Admissions Service shows that there has been a 4.5% increase in applicants to nursing or midwifery courses at English universities when compared to this time last year in 2018. The Department has put in place significant actions to boost the supply of nurses, ranging from training more nurses, offering new routes into the profession, enhancing reward and pay packages to make nursing more attractive and improve retention, and encouraging those that have left to return to nursing. Health Education England is leading a national Nursing Associate expansion programme to train 7,500 Nursing Associate apprentices in 2019 which provides a pathway in to nursing for those that wish to progress on to become a Registered Nurse. The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs. This will ensure that nurses are able to offer the expert compassionate care that they are committed providing. To ensure a detailed plan that everyone in the NHS can get behind, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked Baroness Harding to lead an inclusive programme of work to set out a detailed workforce implementation plan to be published in the spring.

Surgical Mesh Implants

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the information available to women on (a) mesh implants, (b) traditional mesh surgery, (c) physiotherapy and (d) other alternatives to mesh implants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England published comprehensive information leaflets on treatment options for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in 2017. The leaflets have helped to ensure that women are aware of the treatments available and the advantages and disadvantages of each option before consenting to treatment. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has considered information needs as part of its development of a guideline on the management of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women, which is due to be published on 2 April 2019. The draft recommendations state that women should be fully informed and supported to make the right decision about their treatment, taking into account the benefits and risks of all the options as well as any individual social or psychological factors that might affect their decision. NICE and NHS England are developing shared decision aids that will support women to make informed decisions about their care. The decision aids will be published alongside the final guideline.

Diabetes: Pregnancy

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of gestational diabetes and the risk of late stillbirth: a case–control study from England published on 19 March 2019 in the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department expects all those involved in providing maternity services to implement the recommendations of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance on diabetes in pregnancy. NICE proactively assesses relevant events occurring at any time after a guideline has been published (for example, publication of a key study) and conducts a standard guideline check every five years. Further information on how NICE keep their guidelines up to date can be found at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg20/chapter/ensuring-that-published-guidelines-are-current-and-accurate

Hospices: Children

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of ring-fencing the Children’s Hospice Grant for children’s hospices over the lifespan of the NHS Long-Term Plan.

Caroline Dinenage: Children’s palliative and end of life care is an important priority for the National Health Service. In the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England set out that it will increase its contribution to children’s palliative care over the next five years by match funding clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which commit to increase their investment in local children’s palliative and end of life care services. NHS England will match CCG increased investment by up to £7 million a year by 2023/24. The increase set out in the Long Term Plan is in addition to the existing Children’s Hospice Grant, which currently provides an annual contribution of £11 million. NHS England estimates that full match funding should more than double the additional NHS support from £11 million to a combined total of £25 million a year by 2023/24. The Department would expect hospices to be significant beneficiaries of the additional funding NHS England has committed to over the next five years. In many areas, children’s hospices are the main providers of children’s palliative and end of life care services. However, this new investment may also provide for community services; short break (respite) services; and out of hours support for children with palliative care needs, all of which we know is hugely valued by children and their families and carers. The Department believes the focus of NHS England’s planned increase to children’s palliative care services is the correct to approach to deliver sustainable and effective care for this vulnerable group of patients. Simply increasing the hospice grant is not a solution. Local Commissioners need to deliver the investment and plan services in this important area holistically, and the funding increase NHS England has committed to provides a strong incentive for them to do that.

Pupils: Contraception

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many girls in England have been given emergency contraception by school nurses in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by the age of the girl.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times school nurses have issued emergency contraception in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Staff

Daniel Kawczynski: What steps he is taking to help protect the mental health of NHS staff.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Protecting the mental health of our hard-working National Health Service staff is very important. That’s why the Workforce Implementation Plan, led by Baroness Harding, will outline proposals for making the NHS ‘the best place to work’. Through this, we will be supporting employers who are responsible for staff mental health by investing in an expanded programme to implement the NHS staff health and wellbeing framework launched last year.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Medical Treatments

Mr Adrian Bailey: What recent progress has been made on the treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Caroline Dinenage: In September 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence announced its plans for a full update to the existing clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) to ensure that treatment reflects the latest available evidence. The revised guideline will be published in 2020.Since 2011, we have also invested £6 million into research into CFS/ME via the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Fiona Bruce: What steps he is taking to support children living with alcohol-dependent parents.

Matt Hancock: Alcohol addiction has a devastating impact on individuals and their families and it is unacceptable that children bear the brunt of their parents’ condition.This is why we have set up a £6 million three-year programme to improve outcomes for vulnerable children living with alcohol dependent parents.

NHS

Emma Dent Coad: What recent assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: As a responsible Government, we are continuing to prepare for all eventualities. We have put detailed ‘no deal’ contingency plans in place for the continuity of supply of medicines and medical products, continuity of reciprocal healthcare arrangements, and the health and social care workforce.We recognise that a ‘no deal’ exit would affect a wide range of areas across the health and care system, and the Department is working hard to mitigate these risks.We are asking the National Health Service, and everyone in the health and social care system, to continue their planning. We are confident that if everyone does what they need to do, the potential risks of leaving without a deal can be mitigated successfully.

Department for International Development

Malawi: Storms

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to Malawi as a result of cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government of Malawi and UN have reported that around 730,000 people have been affected by flooding in Malawi linked to the Cyclone Idai weather system, with over 87,000 displaced, and 59 deaths. DFID is working closely with partners to respond quickly. The Secretary of State has approved £22 million to victims across the region. In Malawi, DFID has committed £3.4 million that will provide: 65,000 people with relief items and shelter; 150,000 people with immediate food assistance for two months; 250,000 people with water, sanitation and hygiene support; and 130,000 people with health services. This supplements our existing resilience-building programming which is providing cash transfers to feed 140,000 people until the end of March. DFID is the largest donor to the START Fund that has allocated £412,911 to an NGO consortium to meet immediate needs, such as clean water and shelter in Malawi.

Mozambique: Storms

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department is providing to Mozambique as a result of cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID is providing up to £22 million of additional UK support to the people affected by the devastating floods in Southern Africa. UK aid is supporting the World Food Programme to feed 400,000 people in Mozambique for two weeks by distributing emergency food and food vouchers for people to use at local markets. We have sent life-saving relief supplies: tents and thousands of shelter kits that have now landed in Mozambique. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely, and the UK stands ready to provide further support if needed.

Zimbabwe: Storms

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what emergency assistance her Department is providing to Zimbabwe as a result of cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has committed £22 million to support the humanitarian response to cyclone Idai covering Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. As at 25 March, £850,000 of emergency assistance has already been allocated to Zimbabwe. This money has provided essential medical and nutritional supplies and will support urgent efforts to improve access to water and sanitation. We are also supporting psycho-social support and trauma counselling to affected children. We continue to monitor the situation very closely and stand ready to provide further support if needed.

Palestinians: Textbooks

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which international partners will take part in the review of books included in the Palestinian Authority's curriculum.

Harriett Baldwin: We cannot yet provide further public information on which international partners have joined the independent review. Our international partners are currently concluding their contracting with the service provider, and do not wish to publicise their involvement at this time. Work commissioned by the UK on the inception report has already begun; our timeline for the textbook review remains unchanged and we will publish findings by September 2019. We will inform interested parliamentarians of further details as soon as possible.The UK government is deeply concerned about allegations of incitement in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) new curriculum and it has been a priority for the Secretary of State for the Department for International Development to commission an independent, impartial and rigorous review of the PA’s textbooks. We are pleased that after calls by the UK government for international action, a group of international partners - including the UK - will lead a review into the books included in the PA’s pilot curriculum. The PA Minister for Education Sabri Saidam has confirmed that he will engage constructively with the findings of the review, and listen to recommendations.

Department for International Development: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many consultants her Department has hired since 2016; and at what cost to the taxpayer.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department does not hold information on the number of consultants hired in any one year as this work is often commissioned as part of an outcomes based contract to ensure value for money.The table below shows the value of spend on external consultants in 2016, 2017 and 2018.Year Spend 16/17 FY£25,82217/18 FY£11,63018/19 YTD£28,858

Zimbabwe: Storms

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level of humanitarian need in the Chimanimani area of Zimbabwe following Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: WFP estimate that 114,000 people in Chimanimani will need urgent food assistance as a direct result of the cyclone. The UK is the largest donor to the Cyclone Idai response having made up to £22 million available. In Zimbabwe we are funding essential health supplies, hygiene kits and child protection support. The UK will continue to monitor the situation very closely and stands ready to provide further assistance if needed.

Zimbabwe: Storms

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to efforts to reopen roads and bridges between (a) Bulawayo, (b) Harare, and (c) the Chimanimani area of Zimbabwe following Cyclone Idai.

Harriett Baldwin: Efforts to reopen roads and bridges in Zimbabwe are being led by the Zimbabwean military with the support of private sector firms. The UK’s focus in Zimbabwe is on providing essential health supplies, hygiene kits and child protection support. The UK will continue to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to provide further support.

North Korea: Malnutrition

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations at the UN on (a) the increasing level of malnutrition among (i) young children and (ii) other people in North Korea and (b) reports that about 40 per cent of the population of that country are at risk of that condition.

Harriett Baldwin: The UN estimates that 10.9m people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (an increase of 600,000 over 2018), all of whom are food insecure. An estimated 10.3m people are under-nourished. The UK provides no bilateral funding to the DPRK. The UK contributes to the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF), along with other bilateral donors. CERF provided US$10m in humanitarian funding to DPRK in 2018, including allocations to the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation for work on nutrition security. The CERF makes independent decisions on the allocation of resources based on assessed need.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the UK’s aid spending on Yemen is allocated directly to Yemeni NGOs.

Harriett Baldwin: The international humanitarian response relies on national NGOs for aid delivery. This is the only way to reach the millions of Yemenis in need, including those in remote or difficult to reach areas. For example, over 50% of the delivery partners of the Yemen Humanitarian Pooled Fund (YHPF) are national NGOs. The YHFP is a key funding mechanism that provides rapid support to NGOs and UN agencies to meet priority humanitarian needs in Yemen.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support women’s peacebuilding projects in Yemen.

Harriett Baldwin: Through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) the UK is supporting the UN Women-led Yemeni Women’s Pact to increase Yemeni women’s capacity to influence the Yemeni peace processes. The Pact is a platform for Yemeni women leaders to forge strategic links and alliances, develop effective coalitions with key actors, build their capacity and raise awareness of women’s organisations. In the coming financial year (2019/2020) we expect to provide £300,000 in support to the Pact. The CSSF also supports the grassroots inclusion of women’s voices in local peacebuilding initiatives through its Women Peace and Security programme. This support also provides a connection between the Yemeni Women’s Pact and grassroots women’s organisations. The CSSF will also be funding a gender advisor as well as a senior inclusion advisor for the Special Envoys office this year.

Developing Countries: Education

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make it her policy to provide financial support to the International Financing Facility for Education.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK supports the principle of a new financing mechanism for education led by the multilateral development banks to target the financing gap in lower middle income countries. DFID is engaged in the technical design work led by the Education Commission. When this is concluded I will set out the UK’s final position.

Turkey: Refugees

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the Government of Turkey to improve (a) working conditions, (b) safety standards and (c) pay for Syrian refugees employed in garment factories in Turkey.

Harriett Baldwin: Since 2016, the UK has contributed €328 million to the €3 billion EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT) which includes the provision of socio-economic support for refugees in Turkey. Through this mechanism, we ensure that the most vulnerable Syrian refugees are able to meet their basic needs and support their integration into the Turkish economy. Presently, the vast majority of Syrian refugees in Turkey work in the informal sector. While such employment is vital to support refugees’ basic needs, through FRIT the UK is working closely with the Turkish authorities to bring more refugees into the formal labour market where working conditions, safety standards and pay are regulated, and refugees are entitled to access social services.

Sri Lanka: Water

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided to Sri Lankan authorities to provide medical treatment for people affected by poor water quality in Valikamam in Northern Sri Lanka.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID does not have a bilateral programme in Sri Lanka. In 2016, the UK’s attributed share of core multilateral funding to Sri Lanka was £30.417m, primarily through the World Bank.

Department for Education

Apprentices: NHS

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish time series data on the number of apprenticeship starts in the NHS in each month since June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In November 2018, we published details of our progress against the public sector apprenticeship target for the first year of the target. These can be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-sector-apprenticeships-in-england-2017-to-2018.This showed that, in the National Health Service (NHS), 1.2% of employees started an apprenticeship between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018, which is 13,800 new starts. It should be noted that this data is based on self-declared information on organisation headcounts and apprentice recruitment submitted by public sector bodies.The department also publishes data on apprenticeship starts in the health, public services and care sector subject area. This includes the number of starts on the ‘Registered Nurse’ degree apprenticeship and ‘Nursing Associate’ apprenticeship standards.Monthly breakdowns for individual standards and frameworks, as well as for sector subject areas, have been published from 2014/15 onwards and can be accessed at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeship-and-levy-statistics-february-2019.The Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care are working closely with employers and Health Education England to make sure that the NHS is fully supported to recruit the apprentices they need to deliver high quality care.

Apprentices: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the number of degree apprenticeships available in Nottinghamshire.

Anne Milton: There are now 78 industry-designed apprenticeship standards available at level 6 and level 7, of which 60 are degree apprenticeships.There were 10,880 starts on level 6+ apprenticeships, including degree apprenticeships, in 2017/18, a six-fold increase on the previous academic year.We are supporting the development and take up of level 6+ and degree apprenticeships across England through the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund (DADF). The fund has supported 103 education providers, 56 further education colleges and 47 higher education institutions, to boost capacity and internal infrastructure within higher education, including Nottingham Trent University.The fund has supported a range of awareness raising activities aimed at higher, level 6+ and degree apprenticeship, including supporting 30 co-branded Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and National Apprenticeship service (NAS) careers fairs, offering access to 240,000 year 12 students.DADF funding has also supported the NAS and UCAS to develop a higher and degree apprenticeships ‘vacancy finder’ consolidating many of these opportunities into one place. Approximately 2,000 vacancies, with 2019 starts, were published in November 2018.We have also recently launched our ‘Opportunities through Apprenticeships’ campaign, working with partners in Portsmouth, Nottingham, South Tyneside and Torbay to increase participation in apprenticeships particularly at higher levels.

Schools: Rural Areas

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the financial viability of rural schools in England.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula includes support for schools in rural areas, and the sparsity factor allocates additional funding of £25 million specifically to remote schools. The formula also provides a lump sum of £110,000 for every school as a contribution to the costs that do not vary with pupil numbers. This aims to give schools certainty that they will attract a fixed amount each year in addition to their pupil-led funding.When the lump sum is coupled with the sparsity factor, this provides significant support for small and remote schools that play an essential role in rural communities. A small, rural primary school eligible for sparsity funding will attract up to £135,000 in total through the lump sum and sparsity factors and a small secondary school will attract up to £175,000.In addition, the formula has already allocated an increase for every pupil in every school in 2018-19, with increases of up to 3% per pupil for the most underfunded schools, including some in rural areas. In 2019-20, those schools that have been historically underfunded will see further gains of up to 3% per pupil, as the Department continues to make progress in addressing historic unfairness. Alongside this, the Department has been able to ensure that all schools will attract an increase of 1% per pupil by 2019-20, compared to 2017-18.

Schools: Finance

Maria Caulfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure an adequate long-term funding settlement for schools in England.

Nick Gibb: The Government continues to invest in schools, with an additional £1.3 billion across 2018/19 and 2019/20, over and above the plans set out at the last spending review, meaning that the total core schools and high needs budget will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017/18 to £43.5 billion in 2019/20. The Department will be making a strong case to the Treasury at the next spending review to ensure that we have the resourcing we need for our schools.

Department for Education: Public Expenditure

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2019 to Question 229154 on Department of Education: Public Expenditure, what programmes other than delivering new school places and improving the condition of the school estate are being funded from the capital departmental expenditure limit in financial years 2018-19 to 2020-21; and how much has been allocated to each of those programmes in each of those years.

Anne Milton: In addition to delivering new school places and improving the condition of schools, the department funds a range of capital projects across other sectors. In 2018-19, these projects included: £217 million to support our arms’ length bodies, including £150 million for the Office for Students to deliver priorities as agreed with the department; £75 million for investments in higher education and further education including Institutes of Technology and National Colleges.The department will set out detailed plans for funding in future years of this Spending Review as part of its scheduled Main Estimates. The 2019-20 budgets will include capital funding to make sure that the colleges teaching the first T levels have world class equipment and facilities, as announced at the Conservative Party Conference.

Apprentices: West Midlands

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to help businesses create more apprenticeships in (a) Solihull and (b) the West Midlands.

Anne Milton: We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and to encourage employers across England to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer.New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed by industries to give apprentices the skills that businesses need. Over 400 standards are available for employers to use, with over 170 more in development, and we can see that employers are moving quickly to this new higher quality offer. There were 163,700 starts on apprenticeship standards in 2017/18, which is more than 6 times higher than the number of starts in 2016/17.From April 2019, the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers will increase from 10% to 25%. The National Apprenticeship Service is working closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority to promote levy transfers from large employers, including HSBC and Lloyds, to local small and medium-sized enterprises in the automotive, digital and construction sectors.

Pupils: Visual Impairment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that modified versions of GCSE and A Level exams are available for young people with a visual impairment; and what steps his Department takes to monitor that availability.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that young people with vision impairment are provided with past papers and exams in their stated preferred format in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of both Houses.

STEM Subjects: Disadvantaged

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the take-up of STEM subjects for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to increasing the number of pupils taking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. There were 47,000 more exam entries to STEM A levels in 2018 compared to 2010, which is an increase of 23%.Good teaching is essential to increase take-up of STEM subjects. The Department funds a number of programmes to support this aim. These programmes include specific focus on schools with the greatest need, including those in disadvantaged areas. This includes the £76 million of funding that the Department provides for the network of maths hubs and the Teaching for Mastery programme, which aims to reach 11,000 primary and secondary schools by 2023 and has specific focus to support schools in greatest need. It also includes the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, which aims to increase participation and attainment in level 3 mathematics with a focus on schools from disadvantaged areas, including schools in Opportunity Areas.In November 2018, the Department launched a new National Centre for Computing Education, (NCCE) supported by £84 million of funding until July 2022. The aim of the NCCE is to improve the quality of the teaching of computing. This programme will help improve take-up and attainment of computing at GCSE and A level, with a focus on schools in disadvantaged areas.The Department also funds the national network of Science Learning Partnerships, which supports science teachers to improve the quality of science teaching, as well as the Stimulating Physics Network, which aims to increase participation in A level physics, particularly among girls.

Secondary Education: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of secondary school places that will be required in Romford in each of the next five years.

Nick Gibb: The Government has committed £7 billion of funding for school places between 2015 and 2021, on top of investment in the free schools programme. The school system is on track to create one million places this decade, the largest increase in school capacity for at least two generations.The Department collects pupil forecasts, existing school capacities, and plans to deliver additional school places from each local authority via the annual school capacity survey. Information from local authorities, together with information on centrally funded projects to add places, such as new free schools, is used to produce estimates of the future need for school places.Data is only collected at local authority and planning area level, and so constituency level data is not held. The latest available estimates show that the five secondary planning areas within Havering may require an additional 460 secondary school places by 2023/24 in order to meet forecast demand.The latest published data relate to the position in the 2016/17 academic year and include secondary forecasts to 2023/24. Data for the 2017/2018 academic year are due to be published on 28 March 2019. Basic need allocations are based upon data supplied by local authorities themselves so there should be no shortfall between the number of places local authorities report they need to create, and the number the Department is funding.Table 1:  Forecast secondary places needed in Havering by planning area (modelled estimates)[1], [2]Secondary Planning Area2019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Havering Total5893115197460Central Secondary0008156East Secondary000448North East Secondary5893115156194North West Secondary00003South Secondary0002959Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number; therefore do not add up to the sum total. [1] The data provide a snapshot in time at 1 May 2017. Currently, most forecasts continue to increase into the future whereas plans to create places are generally reported more strongly in the immediate future, since only places for which there are firm plans are included. The places needed will therefore naturally grow with time.[2] Further information can be found in the place planning tables at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-capacity-academic-year-2016-to-2017.

Sex and Relationship Education

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish updated sex education guidelines; and what steps is his Department is taking to ensure that those guidelines reflect diverse needs particularly for girls and LGBT+ young people.

Nick Gibb: The Department is making relationships education compulsory for all primary pupils and relationships and sex education (RSE) compulsory for all secondary pupils from September 2020. From that point, health education will also be compulsory for all state funded pupils.Pupils should be taught about the society in which they are growing up. RSE should meet the needs of all pupils, whatever their developing identity or sexuality. The recently updated draft guidance sets out that pupils should know how stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage, and how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice. Health education will also cover important relevant content, such as puberty and menstrual wellbeing in both primary and secondary schools.Pupils should receive teaching on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual (LGBT) relationships during their school years. We expect secondary schools to include LGBT content and primary schools are encouraged and enabled to cover LGBT content if they consider it age appropriate to do so. The updated draft guidance can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/relationships-and-sex-education-and-health-education.

Education: Sustainable Development

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department (a) has taken since September 2015 and (b) plans to take up to 2030 to achieve sustainable development goal four, target seven on education for sustainable development and global citizenship.

Nick Gibb: There are many opportunities in and out of school for young people to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development and global citizenship (as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 4.7). The Government introduced a reformed national curriculum in 2014, designed to focus on the essential knowledge that must be taught whilst empowering teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools.Citizenship education is in the national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can teach it if they wish to. Citizenship aims to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society. It includes teaching about local, regional and international governance and the UK’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world; human rights and international law; diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding The reformed curriculum also provides young people with a strong foundation in environmental issues. At Key Stage 2 in geography, pupils must learn about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, and in science they learn about human impact on environments, such as the negative effects of population and development, litter or deforestation.The national curriculum is just one element in the wide-ranging education of every child and there is enough time and space in the school day and year to expand beyond the national curriculum specifications. The Department also encourages schools to participate in the Department for International Development and British Council funded Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning (CCGL) programme, which builds on previous programmes that were running in 2015 that raised awareness and understanding of global issues in 33% of the UK’s schools. The Department co-launched the new £38 million CCGL programme in 2018, which will provide opportunities for pupils in the UK and in the developing world to learn about global issues, so they are better prepared to live and work in a globalised economy. The programme will build 4,500 long-term relationships between schools and communities in the UK and countries around the world, involving 3 million pupils.Young people can also participate in the UK Government-funded National Citizen Service (NCS) and the International Citizen Service (ICS), which encourage young people to play a more active role in society by completing short term social action projects in their local communities, or volunteering projects in some of the world’s poorest communities to building understanding of global issues.

Care Leavers

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of  care and support offered to care leavers.

Nadhim Zahawi: The quality of support provided for care leavers is assessed under Ofsted’s framework for the inspection of local authority children’s services. In its annual report (2017-18) Ofsted reported that care leaver services were improving, saying “We have continued to explore the experience of care leavers in different local authorities and have been pleased to find an increasing number of local authorities providing high-quality services for them”. The latest Ofsted report for Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council rated its leaving care service as ‘outstanding’. A copy of the report is available at: https://files.api.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/2761258. Department for Education has appointed Mark Riddell MBE as the national improvement adviser for care leavers. Mark was previously the manager of Trafford leaving care service, which was the first to be judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Mark has worked with over 40 local authorities to help them implement new duties introduced in 2018, which require local authorities to publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers; and offer support from a Personal Adviser to all care leavers to age 25 (previously support ended at age 21 for most care leavers). Mark has published an annual report highlighting best practice in leaving care services, a copy of which is available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-implementation-adviser-for-care-leavers-first-year-report. However, care leavers’ outcomes remain significantly worse than their peers in the general population and the government is determined to further improve the support care leavers receive as they make the challenging transition from care to independence. In addition to the new duties on local authorities mentioned above, government has introduced a range of measures to improve care leavers’ outcomes, including: Launching 3 care leaver social impact bonds, which will use ‘payment by results’ contracts to support care leavers to engage in education, employment or training; Establishing 8 ‘Staying Close’ pilots, which are testing an enhanced support offer for young people leaving residential care; Providing additional funding for 47 local authorities, to enable them to work intensively with small caseloads of care leavers at highest risk of homelessness – as part of the cross-government rough sleeping strategy; Introducing a £1,000 bursary for care leavers starting an apprenticeship (local authorities are already required to provide a £2,000 bursary for care leavers who go to university; and care leavers are a priority group for receipt of a 16-19 bursary if they are in further education). Launching the care leaver covenant, which provides a way for organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors to show their commitment to care leavers, through providing concrete offers of support; Launching the next recruitment round for the Civil Service care leaver internship scheme, which provides 12-month paid internships for care leavers across government. For this intake we are hoping to place 100 care leavers in government departments across the country; Publishing guidance to universities on how they can improve the support they offer to care leavers.

Care Leavers

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of care leavers that have (a) been homeless, (b) had diagnosed mental health needs, and (c) entered the criminal justice system in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department publishes data annually on the activity and accommodation status of care leavers aged 19-21. It has also published experimental statistics for 17 and 18-year-olds. These data are available in tables F1 to F4 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. Data show care leavers’ activity/accommodation status on or around their birthday, so do not provide answers to the questions in the form they have been asked. However, the latest data for the year ending March 2018 show that of the 28,510 care leavers aged 19 to 21: 1% (320 young people) were reported to be homeless or no fixed abode; and 4% (1,080 young people) were reported to be in custody. The department does not hold data on the number of care leavers who had diagnosed mental health needs. The department has recently provided funding of £4.8 million to local authorities to enable them to provide additional support to care leavers at risk of rough sleeping – as part of the cross government rough sleeping strategy.

Care Leavers

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the (a) homeless and (b) prison populations that are care leavers.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. However, statistics on the number of 17 to 21 year old care leavers who are in custody are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018 as part of our regular National Statistics on looked after children.Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service collects management information on care leavers. These figures cover England and Wales and are believed to be self-reported meaning they will not be comparable with Department for Education figures. It should be noted that it is not mandatory to record information on care leavers, and therefore no information will be held in respect of some prisoners.

Care Leavers: Unemployment

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of care leavers aged 16-24 that are not in education, employment or training.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information on care leavers aged 16 or aged 22 and over is not held centrally. Of the care leavers aged 17 to 21 in the year ending 31 March 2018, 14,370 were not in education, employment or training. Further information on care leavers can be found in the statistical release ‘Children Looked After in England Including Adoption: 2017 to 2018’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018.

Special Educational Needs: Young People

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of post-18 care and support provided to young people with special educational needs.

Nadhim Zahawi: Under the Children and Families Act 2014, young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged over 18, who continue in education, are entitled to care and support through their Education, Health and Care plans where it contributes to meeting specified outcomes. We have introduced local area SEND inspections by Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) covering education, health and care. These look at implementation of the Children and Families Act reforms, including provision for young people with SEND post-18, moving into adulthood. The Care Act 2014 requires that where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs the local authority must carry out an assessment. It must then decide if the person has eligible needs by considering the outcomes the person wants to achieve, what needs they have, and how these impact on their wellbeing. The CQC inspects services to make sure they meet quality and safety standards – in March 2019, 83% of providers of adult social care were rated as good or outstanding.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of legislation relating to the unauthorised absence of students from school.

Nick Gibb: Ensuring children attend school regularly and tackling the issue of unauthorised absence cannot only be enforced through the law. It requires a range of approaches to support children who may be absent from school.Parents have a duty, under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory school age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education either by attendance at school or otherwise. If parents choose to register their child at school, the law places a duty on the parents to ensure their child attends school regularly. The law gives schools and local authorities powers to offer parenting contracts and obtain parenting orders in relation to attendance. In 2013, legislation was amended to make it clear that leave of absence could be authorised by maintained schools only in exceptional circumstances. It is up to individual schools to decide what constitutes exceptional circumstances. The Department tightened the definition of persistent absence, and equipped schools and local authorities with a range of sanctions they can use to tackle poor attendance. Schools and local authorities can use a range of parental responsibility measures to provide support and sanctions to parents when their child’s attendance at school becomes a problem. In addition, schools and local authorities can issue penalty notices to parents for failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school or local authorities can decide to prosecute.

Egremont Primary School: Redundancy

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to reports that Egremont Primary School in Wallasey will be making 18 members of staff redundant, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that loss of staff on the level of education children attending that school will receive.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to reports that Egremont Primary School in Wallasey will be making 18 members of staff redundant, what assessment he has made  of the financial stability of the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust in Wirral.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is building a supportive schools’ culture in which Regional Schools Commissioners work with multi academy trusts to drive school improvement. As part of this, the department will offer schools the support they need, in line with the ‘Schools Causing Concern’ guidance.The department does not currently have concerns about the financial position of the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust as evidenced in the trust’s annual accounts return.Academy trusts are expected to manage their resources and financial position effectively. Their status as companies, charities and public sector bodies, means they have a more rigorous tri‑partite framework and are held up to greater scrutiny. There is a clear framework of accountability for academy trusts regulated by the Education & Skills Funding Agency through trusts’ funding agreements and the Academies Financial Handbook. This can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook.There is effective oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessment and robust intervention when concerns arise. In addition, all academy trusts must have an annual external audit of their annual accounts by a registered statutory auditor. This external scrutiny provides the department with a high level of confidence that oversight is professional and consistent.

Academies: Wirral

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total cost to the public purse has been of converting local authority schools to academy schools in Wirral since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Over the last 9 financial years, the department has spent £1,138,671 on pre-opening start-up grants to support the conversion of local authority schools to academy schools in the Wirral. Further details are in the table below. Type of GrantCostsConverter Pre-Opening£525,000Additional Private Finance Initiative Grant Award£18,671Sponsor Pre-Opening Grant£595,000Total£1,138,671

Students: Surveys

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the information gathered by the annual Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education survey; and if he will make a statement.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of universities collecting destination routes of all students beyond the current annual survey of graduate destinations; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The government believes it is vital students can access detailed and accurate information on the potential outcomes of higher education when making decisions about their future.The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey is a valuable source of information on the activities of students 6 months after they graduate and is used widely by students, the sector and government. It is overseen by the Higher Education Statistics Agency who in 2017 announced the replacement of DLHE with a new Graduate Outcomes survey. The new survey focuses on outcomes 15 months after graduation, and so will provide a longer-term view of graduate destinations. It uses a centralised collection system with the intention of improving consistency and robustness. Results of the first Graduate Outcomes survey for 2017/18 leavers will be published in 2020.Further information on the new graduate outcomes survey can be found here:https://www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk/about-survey.

Pupils: Contraception

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides to schools on the liability of (a) school governors, (b) teachers, (c) head teachers and (d) other school staff if there are adverse consequences from emergency contraception which has been provided to girls under the age of 16 years by school staff on school premises without the consent of parents; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not provide guidance on the liability of school governors, teachers, head teachers and other school staff if there are adverse consequences from taking emergency contraception.

Ministry of Justice

Employment Tribunal: Standards

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) average waiting time and (b) longest wait between the Employment Tribunal receiving an employment tribunal application and the date of the first hearing has been in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The average and the longest waiting times between the Employment Tribunal receiving an employment tribunal application and the date of the first hearing, in each of the last five years can be found in the table below. Waiting time (in weeks) from receipt to first hearingApril 14 - March 15April 15 - March 16April 16 - March 17April 17 - March 18April 18 – Sept 18Time (weeks)Time (weeks)Time (weeks)Time (weeks)Time (weeks)All Claims (Median) 1,22623242426Oldest Claim7485307046825611 Single claims are made by a sole employee/worker, relating to alleged breaches of employment rights.2 Multiple claims are where two or more people bring proceedings arising out of the same facts, usually against a common employer. In this instance the lead multiple claim would be listed for hearing. This table provides the average listing time for both single and lead multiple claim cases.Median – This shows the waiting time for the claim in the middle of the distribution: half of all claims waited for less time and half waited longer.A claim may contain one or more jurisdictional complaint (grounds for the claim). Depending upon the complexity of the jurisdiction this may importantly influence the listing of such claims.All data was taken from the Employment Tribunals Central database and as such is management information that is, provisional and subject to change.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and is the best data that is available at the time of publication. 95% of multiple claims are stayed waiting decisions from a lead claim, as these are usually complex claims involving jurisdictions such as equal pay, holiday pay and pensions and it can take some time for these claims to be dealt with. This explains why the oldest claims in the table exceed ten years in length as they spend the majority of this period as a stayed claim. All data was taken from the Employment Tribunals Central database and as such is management information that is provisional and subject to change. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and are the best data available.

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Rent Repayment Orders have been made by each of the five regional First-Tier residential property tribunals under (a) section 44, (b) section 45 and (c) section 46 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



All Rent Repayment Orders (RROs) are made by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) under section 43 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016. Section 46 lays out the circumstances where the maximum RRO is to be be set (regardless of whether it is a tenant or a local housing authority application). Internal management information shows:  Number of RROs made in response to applications from tenants up to the end of September 2018Number of RROs made in response to applications from local housing authorities up to the end of September 2018Number of RROs set at maximum under s46 up to the end of September 2018 (from tenant or local housing authority application)London700Northern000Midland600Eastern532Southern000Total1832Data are management information and are not subject to the same level of checks as official statistics.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: Netmaster Solutions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value is of the contract between HM Courts and Tribunals Service and Netmaster Solutions Ltd to operate the Crown Court Digital Case System; and whether his Department holds any contracts other than that contract with Netmaster Solutions Ltd.

Lucy Frazer: The Secretary of State for Justice has a software license and service agreement which commenced on 24th March 2017.The overall value is £7.75m, and includes perpetual (lifetime) licensing, along with support and maintenance for 5 years.The MoJ has no other contracts with Netmaster Solutions Limited.

Ministry of Justice: Consultants

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many consultants his Department has hired since 2016; and what the cost of that hiring was to the public purse.

Edward Argar: Please find below the total spend on consultancy for the Ministry of Justice (including Arm’s Length Bodies) for the periods requested. Please note the spend is taken from our Bravo spend tool and is an accurate figure of what has been invoiced within this period: (i) 2016 - £ 7,202,752.83(ii) 2017 - £ 15,433,822.00(iii) 2018 - £ 35,633,652.53(iv) 2019 - £ 2,655,902.76(v) Total for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 to date for MoJ and ALB’s £60,926,130.12 Please note we hire Consultancy Firms not individual named consultants. The department has used 11 suppliers in this time. Consultants are engaged to deliver short-term on projects where specialist skills required are not available within the organisation. As part of the governance process, approvals are sought from Finance Business Partner, HR Business Partner & the Director General to ensure that project outcomes and budget are validated and to seek confirmation that internal resource is not available to deliver either due to the specialist nature of the project or due to capacity issues enabling delivery within the project timescales. By making use of consultants, the department can save on salary, national insurance and pension costs associated with permanently employing individuals whose skills may not be needed after a set period.

Ministry of Justice: Written Questions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to answer Question 227964 tabled by the right hon. Member for North Norfolk on 4 March 2019.

Lucy Frazer: I would refer the Rt. Hon Member to the published response for PQ 227964.

Legal Aid Scheme: Debt Collection

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Legal Aid Agency makes of the ability to pay of people it takes enforcement action against to recover debt.

Lucy Frazer: Enforcement action is a last resort where other methods of recovering outstanding public money have not been successful. In some circumstances, enforcement can be done by way of long term security of assets, for example charging orders over property, which would not require immediate redemption of the sums outstanding. An assessment of an individual’s income, outgoings, capital and equity is conducted when exploring repayment and, where necessary, enforcement options, and the viability of recovering the debt is considered before any action is commenced.

Employment and Support Allowance: Ipswich

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to allocate additional resources to reduce the waiting time for a tribunal hearing for employment and support allowance in Ipswich.

Lucy Frazer: In the last 12 months we have allocated 7 judges to Ipswich as primary or secondary venue, 2 medical members and 2 Disability Qualified Panel Members (DQPMs)In Norfolk and Suffolk there is a pool of 6 staff who are deployed to clerk the SSCS hearing venues which are situated in Ipswich, Kings Lynn and Norwich. An additional member of staff will be joining this team from the 1st April 2019 to facilitate additional hearings to be held in Norfolk and Suffolk, subject to judicial availability.The Ministry of Justice recognises there are delays in the system and it is in the process of recruiting more Judicial office holders in order to increase capacity and help to reduce waiting times for appellants. In the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) jurisdiction, 225 new medical members have already been appointed and 119 disability qualified members have recently been recruited. The SSCS jurisdiction will also benefit from the fact that 250 fee-paid judges and 100 salaried judges are being recruited across tribunals more widely. In addition, we have recently launched a new digital service to enable speedier processing of appeals and provide a better service for all parties to the proceedings. Information on the new digital service can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-online-service-launched-for-pip-appeal

Department for International Trade

Exports: China

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase the level of UK exports of goods and services to China.

Graham Stuart: UK exports of goods and services to China in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2018 were £22.4bn, up 4.9% from the four quarters to the end of Q3 2017. From 2010 to 2017, total UK exports of goods and services to China increased by 112.1%. The Department, in line with the Export Strategy, is focused on overcoming barriers to help UK businesses maximise export potential in China. Our International Trade Advisers work with chambers of commerce and others to support businesses to export to China. We are committed to improving market access, prioritising those barriers that significantly impact UK exports. We are working with our Chinese counterparts to remove these, opening up new opportunities for UK businesses. We recently helped major British energy companies gain trading licences in China, which is likely to generate billions of pounds in revenues over the next decade. Subsequently, a number of British companies are looking to increase their presence in China, with one company looking to operate around 1,500 petrol stations in China by 2025 and another aiming to add 1,000 petrol stations in China over the next five years.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Stronger Towns Fund

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Barnett Formula be applied to calculate the share of the Stronger Towns Funding to be allocated to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the Barnett consequentials of the Stronger Towns Fund will be for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Barnett consequentials of the Stronger Towns Fund will be made available to the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and to Northern Ireland.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



The Government will seek to ensure that towns in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can benefit from this funding and we will announce further details in due course.

Housing: Standards

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Housing on the 4th March, Official Report Volume 655, Column 659, if he will include in the social housing Green Paper proposals for decent home standards for (a) the private rented sector and (b) homes created through permitted development.

Kit Malthouse: In August 2018, the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper asked whether there are any changes to what constitutes a decent home that Government should consider. The consultation closed in November 2018 and we are currently analysing responses.In January 2019, Government also commissioned the first stage of a review to assess how well the Housing Health and Safety Rating System works in practice. This review will consider the introduction of minimum standards across all rental tenures.In the Secretary of State's Written Ministerial Statement of 13 March 2019 (HCWS1408) he announced his intention to review permitted development rights for conversion of buildings to residential use in respect of the quality standard of homes delivered.

Supported Housing: Older People

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of UK provision of housing-with-care for older people compared with that of other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: MHCLG has not carried out such an assessment. Housing-with-care is able to react flexibly to fluctuating, or increasing, care and support needs. There is evidence to suggest that living in a housing-with-care setting can reduce the overall amount of care older people might need, whilst also having the potential to reduce loneliness levels.In the UK only 0.7 per cent of over-65s live in a housing-with-care setting. This figure stands at more than 5 per cent in countries such as the United States, New Zealand or Australia.

Private Rented Housing

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of March 2019 research by Generation Rent which found that local authorities surveyed had issued improvement notices to private landlords in only 5 per cent of cases where a tenant had complained in 2017-18; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The research was published on 18 March 2019. No assessment has been made at this time.Improvement notices alone do not represent the full scale of local authority enforcement action where serious hazards are identified in residential property. They are one of a range of enforcement tools available for local authorities to use to address serious hazards, which also include informal action, carrying out emergency repairs, and, in extreme cases limiting or stopping the use of a property. Local authorities use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), introduced by the Housing Act 2004, to assess property conditions and must take appropriate enforcement action where the most serious hazards are present.We announced in October 2018 that we were commissioning a review to assess how well the HHSRS works in practice and ensure it is fit for purpose.

Older People: Urban Areas

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the findings of the 2018 research by Buffel, Phillipson, Scharf entitled, Ageing in urban environments: Developing age-friendly Cities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the planning of cities caters for the needs of older people.

Kit Malthouse: A key part of ensuring cities can cater for the needs of older people is to ensure they are accessible. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that plan makers and decision makers should ensure that developments create places that are safe, inclusive and accessible.Housing must be a key part of our thinking as we plan for an ageing population. Offering older people a better choice of accommodation can help them live independently for longer and feel more connected to their communities.Acknowledging this, this year, we will be launching a competition to design the house of the future; a house designed for the changing needs of older people that is more energy efficient, with quality affordable design and suitable for all generations.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of other test facilities with available test rigs for the referenced test to take place.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214560 on Buildings: Insulation, whether the further testing to check the fire safety of building materials that his Department is commissioning with the Building Research Establishment has started.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2019 to Question 214560 on Buildings: Insulation, whether videos of the further testing to check the fire safety of building materials that his Department is commissioning with the Building Research Establishment will be made public.

Kit Malthouse: A detailed final report will be produced setting out all the findings of this project after it is completed and this report will be published in due course. If any findings suggest a risk to public safety we will take appropriate action and communicate this.

Planning Permission: Urban Areas

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to publish the outcome of its consultation entitled Planning reform: supporting the high street and increasing the delivery of new homes.

Kit Malthouse: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 13 March 2018, HCWS1408, we intend to implement an immediate package of permitted development right measures in the spring, with the more complex matters, including on upward extensions, covered in a further package of regulations in the autumn.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether mixed-age couples will continue to be able to claim council tax support under the default scheme when changes to their entitlement to pension credit take effect from 15 May 2019; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: Whether mixed-aged couples can claim council tax support depends on a range of factors including the age of a claimant, the benefits they and/or their partner receive, and the design of local schemes. The changes to pension credit due to take effect from 15 May 2019 may mean some households are no longer eligible for the pensioner element of council tax support schemes, but may be eligible for local working-age schemes.

Devolution: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria the proposals for One Yorkshire devolution failed to meet.

Jake Berry: I refer the Hon Member to my answers of 19 February 2019 and 20 February 2019 in response to Question UIN 221735 and Question UIN 222008 from the Hon Member for Barnsley Central, which set out our criteria for devolution and how the One Yorkshire proposal did not meet these.

Devolution: Yorkshire and the Humber

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish his Department's analysis of the case presented to Ministers for One Yorkshire devolution by local authority leaders.

Jake Berry: In reaching his decision on the One Yorkshire proposal the Secretary of State had regard to the evidence and analysis supplied by the Yorkshire leaders, which are available at https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/economy/devolution/ . It was on this basis that the Secretary of State concluded that the One Yorkshire proposal met neither the criterion on functional economic area nor on there being strong and accountable governance. The proposal focuses on an area that is far greater than any of today’s functional economic city regions, and does not show how a single accountable mayor would be empowered to take tough decisions across a single area.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Compensation

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 225436 on Armed Forces: Compensation, what criteria the (a) Army,  (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy uses when issuing compensation payments of £500 or less to armed forces service complainants; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2019 to Question 225436 on Armed Forces: Compensation, what level command authority is required to issue compensation payments of £500 or less to armed forces service complainants in the (a) Army (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The correct terminology is "consolatory" awards or payments, which are made in accordance with pan-Government Principles for Managing Public Money. The value of compensation/consolatory payments are determined by reference, as appropriate, to external benchmarks such as the Vento Scale (as used by the Employment Tribunal Service), and informed by legal advice.The Army Service Complaints Secretary, of OF5/Colonel rank, holds delegated authority to make consolatory payments of up to £500 and is empowered to delegate such authority to all Decision and Appeal Bodies. The minimum Army rank for appointment to Decision and Appeal Bodies is OF4/Lieutenant Colonel.The Naval Service Complaints Secretary has a delegated financial authority to make consolatory payments of up to £1,000 with any above that level requiring approval by the Deputy Finance Director. Governance requires that at any compensation level, advice is taken through Navy Command Finance if this payment would be regarded as novel or contentious.The RAF Service Complaints Team has delegated authority to make consolatory payments of up to £500 with any above that level requiring approval by Air Director Resources.

Defence: Innovation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using new and developing technologies to support the UK’s defence capability.

Stuart Andrew: Our Armed Forces already use some of the most advanced military technologies in the world, and are taking steps to enhance our ability to acquire and exploit the very best to ensure we retain our strategic military advantage.This includes investment to develop innovative new military capabilities through the Transformation Fund and 'Spearhead' programmes.Later this year, we will publish a new Defence Technology Framework, setting out key emerging technologies that are priorities for Defence now and in the future.

RAF Valley: Training

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many additional training flights are planned to be undertaken from RAF Valley, Ynys Mon as a result of the closure of (a) RAF Linton-on-Ouse, (b) RAF Scampton and (c) other RAF bases in each of the next three years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The RAF decision to conduct all Basic Fast Jet training at RAF Valley and to cease use of RAF Linton-on-Ouse, as part of wider Defence Estate rationalisation, will result in around 35 additional training sorties a day on the new Texan aircraft at RAF Valley.None of the closures of the remaining RAF bases due to take place in the next three years will result in additional training flights at RAF Valley.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff within his Department are seconded to the Department for Exiting the European Union and working on duties not related to matters of defence.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are currently four employees on secondment/loan from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Exiting the European Union.

Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the underlying factors were behind the Single Source Regulations Office recommendation for a rise in the baseline profit rate for single source defence contracts to 7.63 per cent.

Stuart Andrew: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence decided to set the 2019-20 Baseline Profit Rate (BPR) in line with the Single Source Regulations Office's (SSRO) recommendation. The SSRO methodology for calculating the rate has not changed significantly since last year. It is published on the SSRO's website alongside a question and answer briefing, information fact sheets on its methodology, and detailed supporting analysis.The BPR is an average of the actual profit rates earned by companies whose activities are comparable to companies that contribute to the delivery of Ministry of Defence single source contracts. The SSRO's assessment is that the increase this year is mainly caused by changes in the performance of companies that make up the comparator groups, reflecting changing economic conditions.

USA: Military Bases

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2019 to Question 221023, who pays for the remaining cost of those services of the Ministry of Defence Police; and what the process is for determining who pays those costs.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The remaining costs of the services provided by the Ministry of Defence Police at RAF bases in the UK that are made available to the United States Visiting Forces are met from the Defence budget. It is the responsibility of the Host Nation to provide and fund the appropriate level of external security at these locations. The financial principles and arrangements for cost recovery that relate to the deployment of the Ministry of Defence Police are set out in a Memorandum of Arrangement between the Ministry of Defence and the United States Air Force.

Army: Business Interests

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has considered applications from former senior Army officers to take up appointments at Capita in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: No applications have been considered from senior Army Officers at 1* level or above to take up an appointment with Capita in the last five years.

Adjutant General's Corps: Capita

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions did the Adjutant General meet with representatives from Capita Plc between December 2009 and July 2012.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the Adjutant General met with staff from (a) Director General Army Recruitment and Training and (b) Recruiting Group  to discuss contracts related to Capita Plc between December 2009 and July 2012.

Mark Lancaster: This information is not held centrally by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.It has previously been satisfactorily concluded that Lt Gen Sir Mark Mans, who would have been Adjutant General during these dates, had no dealings with Capita which would prevent him taking up an appointment with them. This appointment was approved by the office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, with the approval letter published on Gov.uk.It is also important to note that the award of a contract such as the Recruiting Partnering Project to Capita follows robust commercial competition, conducted over multiple years and in-line with a well-defined and assured evaluation process that would have been transparent to all those involved in the competition.

Ministry of Defence: Roll-on Roll-off Ships

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Point Class Ro-Ro ferries the Ministry of Defence has available and at what readiness.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has four Point Class Ro-Ro ferries available through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI), operated by Foreland Shipping Ltd. They are being held at their standard readiness profiles; one at five days' readiness; and three at ten days' readiness.

Ministry of Defence: Roll-on Roll-off Ships

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on using Point Class ferries to manage pressures at UK ports after the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Lancaster: I have discussed this issue with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Chris Grayling). Any potential use of Defence's Point Class ferries would complement the £88.8 million worth of additional roll-on, roll-off ferry capacity that Government has secured to provide additional freight capacity in the event of the UK leaving the European Union without an agreement.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances deductions are made from a claimant's universal credit payment in order to contribute to her Department's administration costs; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



The Department does not take deductions from a claimant’s Universal Credit award with the sole intent of contributing to the Department’s administrative costs. For example, where payments of child maintenance are made via the Child Maintenance Service, rather than directly between clients, a 20% collection fee is incurred by the paying parent. This applies to deductions from benefit, including Universal Credit, in the same way as any other collection method. Similarly, in cases of benefit fraud an administrative penalty can be recovered as a deduction. These penalties are offered as an alternative to prosecution, are not imposed by the Department and can be declined by claimants.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have moved to Universal Credit from legacy benefits to date.

Alok Sharma: Claimants move from existing benefits to Universal Credit when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to benefit. We do not centrally collate the number of claimants that have made a new claim to Universal Credit as a result of such a change in circumstances.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants who will move to universal credit from legacy benefits (a) in total and (b) through managed migration.

Alok Sharma: We estimate that 4.6 million households will move to Universal Credit from legacy benefits in total. Of this, we estimate that 2 million households will be moved to Universal Credit from legacy benefits without a change in circumstance. We anticipate that the Universal Credit caseload will increase in size from around 1.3 million households today to around 6.5 million households by the end of 2023.

Universal Credit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to help universal credit claimants with the repayment of debt.

Alok Sharma: The Department recognises the importance of safeguarding the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt, and Universal Credit already has procedures and regulations in place to protect claimants from excessive deductions.A claimant’s circumstances are always taken into account when applying debt repayment thresholds to avoid undue hardship. If a claimant is having difficulty repaying a benefit overpayment, they can request a reconsideration of the amount that is being taken. Any reduction will be based on the individual circumstances of the claimant rather than the amount of the overpayment, which helps to ensure that a sustainable repayment plan based on affordability is put in place.The maximum rate of deductions will not normally exceed an amount equal to 40 per cent of the Universal Credit standard allowance, and from October 2019 this maximum rate will be reduced to 30 per cent. However, where it is in the best interest of vulnerable claimants, to protect them from being made homeless or having their fuel disconnected, deductions in excess of the maximum rate may be applied. This is only for ‘last resort’ third party deductions for arrears of service charges, rent, gas and electricity. When we take deductions for gas and electricity arrears, we will also take them for the on-going monthly cost of these utilities.The Department has also implemented a range of measures to further support claimants such as providing a two-week ‘transitional housing payment’ for those who had been receiving Housing Benefit before transitioning onto Universal Credit, and interest free advances, worth up to 100 per cent of their indicative Universal Credit award which can be paid back over 12 months.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children in households affected by the two-child limit on welfare payments are in (a) Romford and (b) the borough of Havering.

Alok Sharma: Data published in June 2018, broken down by country can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018.The information on the level requested was not captured in the reporting database and therefore is not available. This was due to the small numbers of Universal Credit cases recorded as being affected by this policy, meaning it is not possible to break down these totals by smaller geographic areas without the risk of identifying individual claimants.

Employment

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of trends in the level ofemployment since June 2016.

Alok Sharma: The latest available data, released by the Office for National Statistics on 19 March 2019, shows:the level of employment for Nov-Jan 2019 at a record high of 32.7 million.the level of employment having increased between Mar-May 2016 (i.e. before the UK’s EU referendum) and Nov-Jan 2019 – by more than 1 million.the rate of employment for Nov-Jan 2019 at a record high of 76.1%.the rate of employment having increased between Mar-May 2016 (i.e. before the UK’s EU referendum) and Nov-Jan 2019 – by 1.7 percentage points.To note: the statistics above are the headline statistics used by ONS: the level of employment covers the 16+ age group; the rate of employment covers the 16-64 age group. The trends for the same period are shown in the table below:  MonthEmployment levelEmployment rateMar-May 201631,71274.4Apr-Jun 201631,74774.4May-Jul 201631,77974.5Jun-Aug 201631,81174.5Jul-Sep 201631,81074.4Aug-Oct 201631,79474.4Sep-Nov 201631,80874.4Oct-Dec 201631,84574.6Nov-Jan 201731,84774.5Dec-Feb 201731,86074.6Jan-Mar 201731,94674.8Feb-Apr 201731,95674.8Mar-May 201732,01074.9Apr-Jun 201732,06575.1May-Jul 201732,13375.3Jun-Aug 201732,10475.1Jul-Sep 201732,06375.0Aug-Oct 201732,09475.1Sep-Nov 201732,21375.3Oct-Dec 201732,15475.2Nov-Jan 201832,24175.3Dec-Feb 201832,26475.4Jan-Mar 201832,34375.6Feb-Apr 201832,38975.6Mar-May 201832,39575.6Apr-Jun 201832,38675.5May-Jul 201832,40875.5Jun-Aug 201832,41075.6Jul-Sep 201832,43175.6Aug-Oct 201832,49275.7Sep-Nov 201832,54275.8Oct-Dec 201832,59775.8Nov-Jan 2019 (Latest available)32,71476.1

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average duration of a phone call to the universal credit helpline was in (a) each of the last three months and (b) 2018.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit is a 24 hour, seven day a week, digital service that allows claimants to manage their own data and account online at a time which is convenient for them. Via their account claimants can check their Universal Credit benefit payments, notify us of changes and record notes via an online journal facility. In addition, established claimants who call the Freephone Universal Credit helpline are connected directly to the person or team who are dealing with the case. The average call duration for a person calling the Universal Credit Full Service helpline in each of the last three months was: MonthAverage Call Time (minutes)December 20186.15January 20196.01February 20196.01 The average call duration for a person calling the Universal Credit Full Service helpline in 2018 was 6 minutes 16 seconds The Average Call Time (ACT) measure is the average time between a customer being connected to an agent and the call ending. Notes: Data Source: BT - OPMIS and Historical Management Information (GI2 – HMI) Outsourced partner data is included. The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Homelessness: Offenders

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the pilot scheme to help homeless ex-offenders conducted by the Norfolk Community Foundation and Norfolk’s former High Sheriff in Norwich will be (a) launched and (b) concluded; and what criteria will be used to assess the scheme's effectiveness.

Justin Tomlinson: This provision is expected to start in early June 2019, subject to standard DWP partnership checks and procedures being completed. It is planned to run for one year and will support approximately 24 ex-offenders recently released from prison. Evaluation will be conducted by the Norfolk Foundation in the form of an impact study. DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. We encourage all our Jobcentre teams to consider opportunities for partnership-working, where local circumstances allow. Local areas have the flexibility to work alongside local and national organisations to help meet the needs of their communities, assisting our most vulnerable claimants, including those effected by homelessness. In addition, all Jobcentres in England refer claimants considered to be homeless or at risk of homelessness, to the local authority to receive further housing support.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of universal credit claimants affected by the benefit cap who will face over payment recovery action because of a delay in applying the cap to their initial monthly payments.

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons the benefit cap for universal credit claimants is backdated to the date of the original claim rather than applied from the date of notification as with people whose housing benefit is subject to the benefit cap.

Justin Tomlinson: The department does not readily hold the data requested. As Universal Credit simplifies the benefits system, all of the necessary information to decide whether or not to apply the benefit cap is held in one place. Therefore, the benefit cap calculation is not in practice being backdated, rather it is encompassed in the overall Universal Credit assessment.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to introduce a dedicated universal credit hotline for Members and their staff.

Alok Sharma: Prior to the roll-out of Universal Credit Full Service in their constituency, we wrote to each hon. Member. The letter explained the implicit consent arrangements for MPs and also provided the telephone number and email address of the Service Leader in the constituency, so that MPs can contact Service Leaders if there are urgent constituent cases that need attention. This is the best route to raise issues on behalf of constituents and works well because MPs’ offices can establish local relationships. In addition, we are writing again to hon. Members to confirm named contacts and local telephone numbers to allow local constituency related Universal Credit cases to be raised directly. The letters also extend an invitation for MPs to visit their local Jobcentre to see the work they are doing.

Pension Credit

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment her Department has undertaken on the recent reform of pension credit; and if she will publish that impact assessment.

Guy Opperman: The change to the Pension Credit rules was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012. As part of the Parliamentary process, an Equality Impact Assessment published on the 9 November 2011, which included an assessment of the impacts of Universal Credit reforms on older couples, including mixed aged couples. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment On 28 February 2019 we published an ad-hoc statistical release which provides analysis relating to mixed age couples estimated to be affected by the change in policy to be implemented on 15 May 2019. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mixed-age-couples-benefit-impacts-of-ending-access-to-pension-credit-and-pension-age-housing-benefit

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with representatives from the voluntary and charitable sector on the financial effect of the collapse of Working Links (Employment) Ltd.

Justin Tomlinson: I have not had any discussions with or representations from supply chain partners to date although I am aware that some supply chain partners have contacted the Department.

Working Links

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much is owed to sub-contractors providing Health and Work Programme services as a result of the collapse of Working Links (Employment) Ltd.

Justin Tomlinson: Whilst the Department is aware, through an early list of creditors provided by the administrator, that a number of organisations are owed money by Working Links Employment Ltd (in administration), the Department is not aware of how much is owed to sub-contractors providing Health and Work Programme services.The contact details for the Administrator are Turpin Barker Armstrong (based in Sutton, Surrey).

Bereavement Support Payment

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) bereaved civil partners have been refused the (a) lower rate of Bereavement Support Payment and (b) higher rate of Bereavement Support Payment as a result of a (i) spouse and (ii) civil partner not having made sufficient National Insurance contributions.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Pension Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) publicise forthcoming changes to pension credit for mixed-age couples and (b) encourage people to make a claim for that benefit before 15 May 2019.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of mixed-age couples claiming (a) pension credit or (b) pension age housing benefit on 14 May who will lose entitlement due to a change in circumstance in each of the next five years.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the approximately 60,000 mixed-age couples who will be affected by the change in the entitlement rules for pension credit by 2023-24 live in each region of the UK.

Guy Opperman: The mixed age couple policy was legislated for in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and will be implemented now Universal Credit has rolled out nationally for new claims. The commencement order that the mixed age couple policy change will come into force on 15 May 2019, was announced on 14 January 2019. Following the announcement the Government is implementing comprehensive plans to raise awareness of the change among people who may be affected. The Department has written directly to mixed-age couples who are already in receipt of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners to inform them of the changes and encourage them to find out what it could mean for them. Importantly the letters explain that mixed age couples already claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners immediately before 15 May will not be affected for as long as they remain in receipt of either benefit after that date, and that their State Pension will not be affected. This is in addition to providing information on www.gov.uk and through existing departmental channels. The Department’s staff in Pension Centres and Jobcentres are able to provide help and advice about the change, as will staff in local authorities who administer Housing Benefit. The Department has also worked with relevant organisations, including providing them with a fact sheet to ensure that accurate information is available in the places where people are most likely to seek information. A regional breakdown of the estimated number of mixed age couples who would have been entitled to and claiming Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit for pensioners is not available.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) conducting tribunal cases on personal independence payments and (b) providing legal representation at tribunal cases on personal independence payments in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Justin Tomlinson: For part (a); the information is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Department has interpreted part (b) as the costs of external counsel’s fees in PIP cases at the Upper Tribunal in the last 12 months. External counsel’s fees billed to date are £42, 279.92. The Department does not instruct counsel to provide legal representation for PIP cases at the First-tier Tribunal.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Barbecues: Charcoal

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much charcoal for domestic barbecues the UK (a) produces and (b) burns in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Forestry Commission collects data from the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire on timber removals and production and trade of wood and wood products. The most recent published statistics from this source are for 2017. The statistics for 2010 to 2017 include the following information on wood charcoal.   YearUK Production (tonnes)Imports (tonnes)Exports (tonnes)20105,000102,0001,00020115,00062,0002,00020125,00088,0002,00020135,000109,0006,00020145,000118,00011,00020155,000107,0002,00020165,00069,0002,00020175,00086,0003,000   Details of the end use for charcoal are not recorded.   Defra proposals to phase out the sale of traditional house coal (and restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning) will not affect the sale of charcoal.

Dogs

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide companion dogs with the same protections as assistance dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

David Rutley: The offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control (section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991) applies to attacks on other dogs, livestock and any other animals including companion dogs, as it does to attacks on people and assistance dogs.   This is based on the judgement in the Court of Appeal in R v Gedminintaite [2008] EWCA Crim 814. This case has shown that consideration of a dog being dangerously out of control is not restricted to situations where a person is present.

Fly-grazing

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect fly-grazed horses; and what support his Department provides to local authorities to help them enforce the Control of Horses Act 2015.

David Rutley: Defra is keen to ensure that we uphold our high standards of welfare including in relation to fly-grazed horses.   The Control of Horses Act 2015 introduced more flexible options for the management of fly-grazing and other abandoned horses and has been welcomed by landowners, local authorities, countryside bodies and animal welfare charities. The 2015 Act allows landowners, occupiers and local authorities to secure and if necessary remove horses unlawfully left on their land and take them immediately to a place of safety. The person detaining the horse must notify the local police within 24 hours of doing so, and if the horse’s owner can be identified, they must also be notified.   The 2015 Act provides flexibility, meaning that local authorities can use it in a way that meets their specific needs. We encourage all interested parties to work together at local level to use the available powers to address the challenge of abandoned horses.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) maintain and (b) increase animal welfare standards in battery hen farms.

David Rutley: The use of conventional (“battery”) cages for laying hens has been banned in the UK since 2012. Laying hens are kept in either enriched colonies, free range, barn or organic systems. Enriched colonies provide more space for the birds to move around and are legally required to provide nest boxes, litter, perches, and claw shortening devices which allow the birds to carry out a greater range of natural behaviours.   The new statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pullets provides improved and up-to-date guidance for owners and keepers on how to comply with the legislation and help maintain high animal welfare standards.   We intend to continue being a world leader in animal welfare after we leave the EU by maintaining and strengthening our already world-class welfare standards. As part of our move to higher regulatory standards we intend to develop publicly-funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond our high regulatory baseline that are valued by the public.

Chemicals: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions the UK has opposed the restriction of a chemical by (a) another Member State and (b) the European Chemicals Agency.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Chemicals are restricted under the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.   Under REACH, the UK has opposed the restriction of two chemicals: The extension of a restriction on Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) to consumer items (Annex XVII, entry 50, paragraphs 5-7);A restriction on Methanol in windscreen washing or defrosting fluids (Annex XVII, entry 69, paragraph 1).

Chemicals: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times the UK has objected to a substance being named as a substance of very high concern by the European Chemicals Agency.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Where an SVHC proposal has gone to the Member State Committee the UK has objected to seven substances. Of these seven substances, the UK has subsequently given its assent to four after modification of the proposal.

Home Office

Home Office: Vetting

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223140 on Home Office: Staff, whether a (a) Counter Terrorist Check, (b) Security Check and (c) Developed Vetting has been required for each of the staff contracted by suppliers.

Victoria Atkins: Staff contracted by suppliers are required to have a minimum clearance level of Base Level Clearance (BPSS).All roles are assessed against the security framework to establish the level of clearance required. Where deemed appropriate for the role, staff contracted by suppliers are must also successfully complete a Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) or Security Check (SC). There are no resources on the programme that require Developed Vetting (DV).

Firearms

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of guns in England and Wales; and how many of those guns are lawfully owned.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of guns in the UK; and how many of those guns are lawfully owned.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office publishes statistics on firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Act 1968. This provides a useful account of the number of firearms that are lawfully owned. The latest figures on the number of firearm and shotguns on issue are available from tables 1 and 3 of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2017/18’ publication.Data as at 31 March 2019, will be reported in the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2018/19’ publication. This has been pre-announced on gov.uk to be released in June/July 2019.In relation to illegal firearms, the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) and wider law enforcement regularly assess the volume of illegal firearms used in crime in the UK. NABIS produce quarterly reports on the threat, but their assessment is continuous and key information is shared amongst law enforcement on a real time basis. This information is operationally sensitive and not published.Annual statistics on the number of firearm and shotgun certificates granted, renewed and revoked by police forces in Scotland are published by the Scottish Government. The figures are considered to be broadly comparable with those for England and Wales, due to the common legislation that governs the certification process.The Police Service of Northern Ireland lists its statistical outputs on the Statistics page of its website, but there are no series that are directly compara-ble to those for England and Wales.

Seasonal Workers: Cornwall

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 230817 on Seasonal Workers: Cornwall, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that officers of the Migration Advisory Committee are aware of such statistics and other relevant information when carrying out stakeholder engagement sessions.

Caroline Nokes: The Migration Advisory Committee are independent and take account of all available information through a range of methods including calls for evidence, stakeholder engagement and research.

Offences against Children

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reports of child sexual exploitation have been received and (b) successful prosecutions have taken place for child sexual abuse-related offences including imagery offences in (i) Preston constituency and (ii) the UK in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The number of police recorded offences relating to child sexual exploitation in the Preston Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Area and in England and Wales, is shown in the table below in each of the last 3 years:Year to Sep 2016Year to Sep 2017Year to Sep 2018Preston CSP Area120130248England & Wales43,89653,73360,659The Home Office does not hold data on the number of such offences recorded by the police elsewhere in the UK. Information on the number of prosecutions for such offences is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Radicalism: Street Preachers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that street preachers do not disseminate extremist material from proscribed terror groups.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK Government has a robust legislative framework which gives operational partners the powers they need to take appropriate action. Most recently the UK’s capacity for undertaking terrorist offences was extended by the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act which gained Royal Assent in February this year. The Act strengthened sections 12 (inviting support) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT) by making it an offence to recklessly express support for a proscribed organisation. It also strengthened section 13 (wearing or displaying an item) of TACT to include publishing an image of an item.There are also a number of other offences available to the police which may be relevant in disrupting individuals from disseminating material from proscribed terror groups, including: encouragement of terrorism, contrary to section 1 Terrorism Act 2006; and disseminating terrorist publications, contrary to section 2 Terrorism Act 2006It would be for the police and CPS to investigate and charge any offences, as appropriate.

West Midlands Police

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on police numbers in the West Midlands of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of West Midlands Police officers that will be deployed to other forces under police Mutual Aid arrangements.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is entirely responsible and appropriate that we prepare for every eventuality and we will continue to work closely with all of our operational partners, including the police, on contingency planning to ensure the safety and security of our citizens.Decisions on arrangements for police use and deployment of resources are operational matters for policing and are the responsibility of Chief Constables and not the Home Office.

Construction: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 231997, how many of the 77 potential victims of trafficking that were detained were not released as a result of a positive reasonable grounds decision.

Caroline Nokes: Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Detention Centres: Training

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 231999 on Detention Centres: Training, which (a) organisation provides the training to his Department's supplier staff on identifying adults at risk in immigration detention; whether that training is compulsory; how many hours are required to complete the training; and how often staff are required to retake the training during the course of their employment.

Caroline Nokes: The training provided to supplier staff in Immigration Removal Centres was internally arranged and delivered by Home Office staff with expertise of the adults at risk (AAR) in immigration detention policy.These two-hour training sessions have been supplemented by the issuance of further, operational instructions and guidance which includes, but is not limited to, AAR matters. The training is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Refresher training will be provided as and when appropriate.

UK Visas and Immigration: Training

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2019 to Question 232000 on UK Visas and Immigration: Training, how many hours are required to complete that training; and how often is that training is refreshed.

Caroline Nokes: Staff in UK Visas and Immigration are required to complete the two mandatory e-learning training courses entitled “Modern Slavery - Non Border Force” and “Modern Slavery - National Referral Mechanism Process”.The estimated duration of these courses are 1 hour and 30 minutes respectively. The training material was last updated in early 2017 following recommendations from the Chief Inspector for Borders and Immigration and the Anti -Slavery Commissioner

Immigration: Applications

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he last reviewed the application form for Leave to Remain under the five-year partner route.

Caroline Nokes: Applications for leave to remain under the five-year partner route are made on form FLR(M), which is available on GOV.UK. We continue to keep family application forms under review and will make adjustments in light of feedback on their operation and impact. On 13 December 2018, the current form was revised, which included launching an online version and withdrawing the paper form.

Asylum: Religion

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the guidance given to his Department's decision-makers on refusal of an asylum claim on the basis of religion.

Caroline Nokes: Detailed Home Office policy guidance on how to consider asylum claims, including claims based on a person’s religion or belief, is already published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/considering-asylum-claims-and-assessing-credibility-instruction.

Asylum: Religion

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refusals of asylum claims have included quotations from religious texts in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not recorded in a way that can be easily retrieved.We are urgently investigating reports which indicate that some asylum decisions were not drafted in accordance with our policy.Published Home Office policy guidance contains detailed instructions on how asylum decision makers are expected to approach religious based claims. Our policy makes clear that when assessing such claims, decision makers are expected to ask appropriate and sensitive questions based on an understanding of religious concepts, philosophical viewpoints and forms of persecution a person may suffer due to their religion, belief or lack of belief.

Crimes of Violence: Pupil Exclusions

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment his Department has made of potential links between serious violence, in particular knife crime, and school exclusions.

Victoria Atkins: In April 2018 the Government published the Serious Violence Strategy which sets out our analysis of the risk and protective factors for involvement in serious violence. The evidence in the Strategy showed that being in care and school exclusions are markers for increased risk of both victimisation and perpetration of serious violence.The Home Office and Department for Education continue to work together to deliver the commitment in the strategy to consider support for pupils at risk of exclusion as well as for those who have been excluded, to reduce the risk of them being drawn into crime and associated pathways.

British Nationals Abroad: France

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with his French counterpart on plans that country has for a centralised biometric database when processing UK business travellers.

Caroline Nokes: Policy on short stay visitors, such as business visitors, is an EU competence, rather than a Member State competence.The Visa Information System (VIS) is the system that Schengen states use to exchange visa data for short-stay visas. This includes the capability to match biometric data.The EU has proposed that UK nationals would be able to enter the EU visa-free for short periods after the country’s exit, provided EU nationals enjoy the same conditions when travelling to the UK. The Home Secretary has announced that EEA and Swiss nationals will be able to continue to travel to the UK for holidays or short-term trips without needing a UK visa.

British Nationality: Naturalisation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to estimate the number of people in the UK who are entitled to British citizenship but have not yet been naturalised.

Caroline Nokes: Information on the UK’s resident population and their characteristics is a matter for the independent Office for National Statistics. Naturalisation as a British Citizen is by discretion and until an individual makes an application to be naturalised, and their application is assessed, it is not possible to tell whether they will qualify for British Citizenship.

British Nationality: Naturalisation

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many M1N1 application forms have been submitted in each of the last three years; and what proportion were (a) refused and (b) withdrawn.

Caroline Nokes: The available information relates to total grants and refusals of citizenship by general category, and are published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics citizenship table cz_01 and , latest available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-december-2018/list-of-tables#citizenship The large majority of cases decided in 2018 were grants (94%).

Cabinet Office

Apprentices: Taxation

Helen Whately: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprenticeship starts there have been in each Government department by gender since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally.

Apprentices: Taxation

Helen Whately: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many apprenticeship finishes there have been in each Government Department by gender since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally.

Devolution: Disclosure of Information

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to review the way Government shares information with the devolved administrations.

Mr David Lidington: The UK Government and devolved administrations are carrying out a joint review of intergovernmental relations including how information is shared between the four administrations. We are also working with the devolved administrations to develop common frameworks, including information sharing arrangements, in policy areas where powers returning from the EU intersect with devolved competence.

Public Bodies: Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the 2019 NAO report on Progress of the 2016-2021 National Cyber Security Programme, for what reasons fewer than 80 per cent of projects relating to his Department's Critical National Infrastructure objective are assessed as on track.

Mr David Lidington: The National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) supports a range of transformational initiatives driving improvements in Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) cyber security and resilience. This is only part of the substantial overall investment and activity related to improving the cyber security of CNI across Government and industry. For a range of reasons including reprioritisation and rescoping following industry engagement, a number of NCSP funded projects for CNI were assessed as off track at the 3rd Quarter checkpoint and are currently being reviewed. The majority of projects, including those with the most significant transformational impact on our CNI, have either been delivered already or will be delivered as planned.

Treasury

Productivity: West Midlands

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to increase economic productivity in the West Midlands.

Robert Jenrick: People across the West Midlands are benefitting from investment that the Government is making to support productivity, with 315,000 more people in employment in the West Midlands than in 2010 and close to 91,000 more businesses. For example, the Government has agreed devolution deals with the West Midlands that include investment of £1.095bn over 30 years for local priorities. At Budget 2018, the Government also announced an additional £71.5 million for the West Midlands Combined Authority from the Transforming Cities Fund, bringing the total figure for the region to £321.5 million. In addition, the West Midlands was announced in the last year as the UK’s first large-scale 5G testbed, with up to £50 million from the National Productivity Investment Fund, and three areas in the region successfully bid for a total of £19.8 million from the £190 million Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund. North Herefordshire is also benefiting from £75.3m funding for the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) from the Local Growth Fund to support economic activity in the area.

Tourism: Taxation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of a tourist tax by local authorities on trends in the level of tourism.

Mel Stride: The Government has made no such assessment. The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

Cars: Insurance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to ban car insurers from imposing compulsory change of address fees on their policy holders.

John Glen: The Government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do so under the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to act fairly in accordance with the best interests of customers. Customers that believe that they have been treated unfairly, such as their insurer charging fees disproportionate to the level of work involved, should make a formal complaint to their insurer. If they then feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily they can refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) - an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases. The decision of the FOS is binding on insurers up to the value of £150,000.

Access to Cash Review

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a regulator with sole responsibility for cash infrastructure to ensure continued access to physical money.

John Glen: The UK has well-established world-class regulators overseeing financial services. The Government established the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) with a statutory duty to ensure that payment systems work well for those who use them. As part of this, the PSR regulates LINK, the scheme which runs the UK’s ATM network, and is closely monitoring developments within ATM provision. LINK has committed to maintain the broad geographical coverage of the ATM network in the UK. The PSR has used its powers to hold LINK to account over its commitments and to ensure LINK reports to it on a regular basis.

Access to Cash Review

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to (a) minimise the effect of IT outages on consumers’ ability to pay for goods and services and (b) ensure that digital payment systems are more reliable.

John Glen: We take the operational resilience of the finance sector and any detrimental impacts on consumers very seriously. HM Treasury works closely with the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (collectively the ‘Financial Authorities’) to assess, test and improve the operational resilience of the sector and to respond to any major disruption, including to payment systems. In July 2018, the PRA and the FCA published a joint Discussion Paper on an approach to improve the operational resilience of firms and financial market infrastructures, including to payment systems. The Authorities will use responses to this to inform supervisory activity and future policy-making to support firms’ and FMIs’ operational resilience[i]. The Financial Authorities also have a single mechanism, the Authorities’ Response Framework, to coordinate a response to incidents affecting the finance sector. The Financial Authorities regularly exercise incident response frameworks with the sector to assess their effectiveness and identify improvements. The Bank of England held a sector resilience exercise (SIMEX18) in November 2018 which tested the joint response by public authorities and industry to a simulated disruption. 1 https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/prudential-regulation/discussion-paper/2018/dp118.pdf?la=en&hash=4238F3B14D839EBE6BEFBD6B5E5634FB95197D8A

Access to Cash Review

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department plans to publish the findings from its call for evidence on cash and digital payments; and what steps he is taking to progress that work.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to examine the (a) role of cash in the UK and (b) effect of reduced access to cash has on different groups and communities.

John Glen: Following a programme of currency modernisation we initiated a discussion on payment methods last year, through our Call for Evidence on Cash and Digital Payments in the New Economy. This was launched at Spring Statement 2018. This sought to gather evidence on how changing preferences for cash and digital payments impact on different sectors, regions and demographics. Furthermore, it demonstrated the Government’s intent to explore how cash can remain accessible. The Government intends to publish a response to this Call for Evidence in due course.

Taxation: Bermuda

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations his Department has made to the EU on behalf of Bermuda on its inclusion on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.

Mel Stride: The UK has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including all EU Member States and many of the jurisdictions being assessed, as part of the process for agreeing the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. Bermuda is a fiscally sovereign jurisdiction, and has been liaising directly with the EU institutions on this issue. The UK supports the list and has been active in discussions, ensuring the process is fair an objective across all jurisdictions.

Taxation: Bermuda

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has provided assistance to Bermuda to help it fulfil its commitment to comply with required good governance criterion on substance requirements for zero-tax countries of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.

Mel Stride: As with other jurisdictions subject to the EU’s screening process, the UK has encouraged Bermuda to engage with the EU Commission throughout the process in order to deliver the changes they committed to make in full.

London Capital and Finance: Compensation

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will compensate investors for losses at London Capital and Finance.

John Glen: Investors affected by the failure of London Capital & Finance (LCF) are unlikely to have access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in this case. However, it is for the FSCS to determine this as it is an independent body from both HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority. The FSCS’ current assessment is that LCF’s activities are not FSCS-protected, which means LCF’s investors will not be eligible to claim for compensation from the FSCS. However, the FSCS is working closely with the administrators to understand more about LCF’s activities. If there are circumstances that give rise to potentially valid claims, the FSCS will begin to accept claims against LCF and communicate this on their website.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Third Sector

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 100 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy, published in August 2018, what steps his Department has undertaken to work with civil society partners, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Communities Partnership Board, to explore ways of raising awareness and enabling use of the community shares model in options to encourage community ownership of assets and within onward devolution approaches.

Mims Davies: Government is fully committed to the Civil Society Strategy: it is the beginning of an ambitious, evolving work programme to help build a strong society. As stated in the Strategy, community shares is a sustainable social investment model that empowers communities by giving members – as part-owners – a direct say in the success of an enterprise, encouraging them to play an active part in its future. As part of developing a MHCLG Communities Framework, building on the work of the Civil Society Strategy, we are engaging with sector partners, to explore future options to ensure we create socially and economically strong communities, where community shares and community assets play a central role in supporting communities deliver their priorities. As part of the Government’s commitment to understanding what models of funding will best sustain the community ownership of assets, MHCLG are currently working with Power to Change on a jointly funded programme of research which will undertake a detailed economic assessment of assets in community ownership. The research which will be published in summer 2019 will inform a wide range of audiences including the voluntary and community sector, local government, funders and the emergent community business sector on effective approaches to supporting the community ownership of assets.

Third Sector

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 52 of the August 2018 Civil Society Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to explore with the National Association of Local Councils and others the option for local charters between a principal council, local councils and community groups setting out respective responsibilities.

Mims Davies: Government is fully committed to the Civil Society Strategy: it is the beginning of an ambitious, evolving work programme to help build a strong society. As stated in the Strategy, the government wishes to devolve more power to community groups and parishes. Onward devolution provides an opportunity for communities to help shape, and in some cases manage, public services in the places where they live. Communities themselves are often better placed than central or local government to identify the real issues they face, provided they are informed, equipped and trusted to do so. In development of its Communities Framework, which builds on the work of the Civil Society Strategy, MHCLG continues to work with sector partners to consider how we can support local councils and their partners in the design and delivery of services to create socially and economically strong places where community voices are heard. We are working to ensure that models of good community decision making are included in the Communities Framework.

Social Media: Employment Agencies

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with social media platforms on removing scam modelling agencies from their listings.

Margot James: Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media companies on a range of issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

Internet: Safety

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the safety of children and young people online.

Margot James: The DCMS and Home Office Online Harms White Paper, due to be published in the coming weeks , will contain a range of legislative and non-legislative measures, setting out definitive plans to tackle a wide range of harms that users, including children and young people face online. DCMS have worked closely with the Department for Education on the new Relationships and Sex Education curriculum guidance to ensure that relationships in digital environments are represented and children are educated about staying safe online.

UK Community Foundations

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on the number of applications that UK Community Foundations has received for its onward grants of using Tampon Tax Fund money.

Mims Davies: In 2018, UK Community Foundations (UKCF) were awarded £3.4 million from the Tampon Tax Fund to make onward grants to grassroots charities across the UK. In their end of year report submitted in March 2019, they outline that they received 1,469 applications in total to this onward grants fund, from which 407 grants were awarded.

Social Media: Young People

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of social media on young people’s mental health; and what plans his Department has to ensure that social media companies protect vulnerable young people.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 March 2019.The correct answer should have been:

On 7th February, the UK Chief Medical Officers published their independent systematic map of evidence on screen and social media use in children and young people, and recommended next steps and advice for parents and carers. You can view the report here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777026/UK_CMO_commentary_on_screentime_and_social_media_map_of_reviews.pdf The DCMS and Home Office Online Harms White Paper, due to be published shortly, will contain a range of legislative and non-legislative measures, setting out definitive plans to tackle a wide range of harms that users, including children and young people, face online.

Margot James: On 7th February, the UK Chief Medical Officers published their independent systematic map of evidence on screen and social media use in children and young people, and recommended next steps and advice for parents and carers. You can view the report here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777026/UK_CMO_commentary_on_screentime_and_social_media_map_of_reviews.pdf The DCMS and Home Office Online Harms White Paper, due to be published shortly, will contain a range of legislative and non-legislative measures, setting out definitive plans to tackle a wide range of harms that users, including children and young people, face online.

Radicalism: Internet

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) social media companies and (b) online news platforms ban and remove harmful and extremist content.

Margot James: The forthcoming Online Harms White Paper will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and setting clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep people safe online. The press is subject to independent self-regulation. These regulators issue their own codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas including discrimination, accuracy and the reporting of crime.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the  source of funding is for the £10 million brand refresh for the National Citizen Service; and whether he can confirm that no government funding will be spent on this contract.

Mims Davies: To date, over 500,000 young people have taken part in the NCS programme. The most recently published evaluation has found that 82% of young people felt more positive about people from different backgrounds, and participants are more likely to use their time to help others after NCS[1]. Marketing is a key recruitment driver for NCS, ensuring that more young people across the country benefit from the programme. The brand refresh is one part of the overall marketing and creative services tender which includes communications planning, creative strategy, brand platform, experience, advertising campaign development, and content production. The £10m figure was stated in a NCS Trust procurement document as an upper limit over 4 years. The actual cost of the contract is likely to be around £1m per year, for 4 years of the contract. The NCS Trust is forecast to self-generate c. £3m income in the upcoming financial year. The brand refresh element of the marketing and creative services contract in question will be paid from those funds and we can confirm that no government funding will be spent on this element of the contract. The remainder of the contract will be funded by Government funding. [1] This figure is based on the 2016 programme evaluation, which can be found here. The 2017 evaluation report is currently being finalised.

Northern Ireland Office

British Irish Intergovernmental Conference

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what her planned timeframe is for the next British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

Karen Bradley: At the last meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in November 2018, the two Governments agreed to hold another meeting in the spring of 2019.